


CyberLife

by Rainbowdragon121



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Androids, Co-workers, Emotions, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, POV Female Character, POV First Person, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Swearing, police stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-06-06 20:27:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15202811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbowdragon121/pseuds/Rainbowdragon121
Summary: Detective Molly Brookes wanted nothing more than to get back to work after her accident. The secrets she keeps could bring her closer to her colleagues, but it could also tear them apart...





	1. Back again

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoy!

First day back. It’d been a long while since I’d been in the office, considering I’d been up and mobile for a few months now. Heading up in the elevator, it almost felt as though nothing had changed, like no time had past. 

Stepping into the bullpen I received welcome smiles, and even a couple of cheers. “Welcome back,” said familiar faces, few of whom had actually visited me whilst I was in the hospital, but I didn’t blame them. I’d been comatosed for a lot of it, so perhaps they had visited and I just wasn’t aware. 

“Detective Brookes.” I turned to see Captain Fowler stood at the door to his office, a small smile on his face contradicting the lines around his eyes and on his forehead, which said he was stressed. “In my office, if you please.” 

I pulled away from the small crowd of officers and followed Captain Fowler into his office, where Hank was already sat. Hank’s messy grey hair seemed longer and more dishevelled since I’d last seen him, and he looked more tired than ever. 

A figure I didn’t recognise was also in the room, clad in smart uniform and standing abnormally still. Android. Figures. I’d never seen a model like that, however - perhaps it was new? It was certainly … supposed to look good, like all androids, Cyberlife never released an ugly model. Damn perfect androids. I returned my attention to Hank.

“Good to see you, Hank.” I said with a smile as he stood, and enveloped him in a hug. Hank was one of my main visitors in the hospital, something I was grateful for. 

“How’re you holding up?” He asked, cocking his head slightly to one side, eyebrows raised. He sat himself back into his seat and his eyes never left me as I slowly lowered myself to the chair, squinting at the slight discomfort my joints gave me. 

“Better with every day. I’m just raring to get back to work, honestly.” I turned my attention to Captain Fowler, who sipped at his coffee and stared at computer. 

“Detective, I’m sure you’ve heard about these new cases involving androids?” He questioned, with a raised eyebrow. I nodded. Of course I’d heard about them - androids malfunctioning and hurting people was something all the officers had been talking about. 

“A little, though I don’t know much about deviancy itself.” I told him, but that seemed to be enough for him. 

“I’ve got ten new cases involving androids on my desk every day. We’ve always had isolated incidents; old ladies losing their android maids and that kind of crap, but now, we’re getting reports of assaults and even homicides,” the Captain explained, “Like that guy last night.” His eyes landed on Hank and the android behind us.  _ What had happened last night? I’d have to get Hank to tell me. _ “This isn’t just Cyberlife’s problem anymore. It’s now a criminal investigation and we’ve gotta deal with it before the shit hits the fan.” 

I looked over to Hank, who was scowling, as expected. He wasn’t good with androids - they lacked a certain understanding of human nature, and for someone so psychologically scarred it could be … triggering. 

“I want you to investigate these cases and see if there’s any link.” Captain Fowler looked to us to confirm. My first case back and it already sounded interesting - not just paperwork, like I was expecting. They must have really needed the bodies on this one. But knowing Hank, he wasn’t going to like this. 

“Why me?”  _ Yup. Definitely not liking this. _ “Why do I gotta be the one to deal with this shit? I am the least qualified cop in the country to handle this case.” He argued in frustration. I stayed quiet. “I know jack shit about androids, Jeffrey! I can barely change the settings on my own phone!” I snorted. He wasn’t lying there. 

“Everybody’s overloaded. I think you are perfectly qualified for this type of investigation.” Fowler said. I’d have believed it. Hank didn’t. 

“Bullshit! The truth is nobody wants to investigate these fuckin androids and you left me holdin the bag!” Hank stood and walked away, fury in his eyes. 

“Cyberlife sent over this android to help with the investigation. It’s a state of the art prototype, it’ll act as your partner.”

“No fuckin way! I don’t need a partner and certainly not this plastic prick.” Hank returned to face the Captain, defiant. I knew he didn’t like androids but I had never thought it’d bother him this much. 

“Hank.” I tried to get his attention before he said something he’d regret, but I spoke too quietly, or he was in too much of a rage to hear me.

“Hank, you are seriously starting to piss me off! You are a police lieutenant, you are supposed to do what I say and shut your goddamn mouth!” 

“Hank st-” He ignored me.  _ Oh, dear.  _

“You know what my goddamn mouth has to say to you? Huh?” I closed my eyes and lowered my head into my hand, rubbing the bridge of my nose. First day back and Hank was already going to get disciplinary action. 

“Ok, ok. I’ll pretend like I didn’t hear that, so I don’t have to add anymore pages to your disciplinary folder cause it already looks like a fuckin novel. This conversation is over. Detective Brookes will help you while she returns to active duty but if you keep pushing me Hank, I’ll move her somewhere else.” Captain Fowler’s stare was hard, but he quickly averted his gaze when he knew that Hank was giving up. 

“Jeffrey, Jesus Christ, why are you doing this to me? You know how much I hate these fuckin things.” Hank pointed his thumb to the android behind him, who was still stood, arms held in front of him, seemingly unaffected by the argument in front of him. Could they be affected by this sort of thing? Clearly some could, the deviants, but perhaps there was more to it. “Why you doin this to me?” 

“Listen, I’ve had just about enough of your bitching. Either you do your job or you hand in your badge. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.” Captain Fowler once again turned his attention back to his desk. 

“We should get started as soon as possible.” I told Hank quietly, standing and pulling him by the arm. He pulled away and growled, letting the door slam behind him as he left. 

“Welcome back, Detective. If you need anything at all, don’t be afraid to ask.” Fowler didn’t take his eyes off his computer, but the sentiment was still there. 

“Thank you, Captain.” I said with a nod before walking out of the room, following Hank to his desk. “You’re going to get yourself fired if you keep speaking to him like that.” 

“Prick shouldn’t have put me on the fuckin case then.” He grumbled, sitting down at his desk. 

“Well, you’re stuck with it now, and no amount of whining is going to change it.” I said with a raised eyebrow, but I just received another grunt. I turned back to Captain Fowler’s office to see the android closing the door gently behind him. “Although I do have to admit, being partners with an android?  _ You?  _ It does seem like a bit of a joke.” I gained another grunt. I watched as the android walked over and stood in front of Hank’s desk. “I’ll be at my desk.” 

I moved across from Hank to my desk which had been partially cleared whilst I’d been away, but now had a few envelopes laid on it and a vase with some flowers in it. I bit my lip to stop from smiling too hard and turned back to Hank as the android began to speak. 

“I get the impression my presence causes you some inconvenience, Lieutenant. I’d like you to know I’m very sorry about that.” For a moment, I almost believed the android was sorry. But it couldn’t be. It was a machine. It couldn’t feel guilt, something my mother always reminded me. 

“In any case, I’d like you to know I’m very happy to be working with you.” It said, and I scoffed. Hank heard it too, his eyes darting over to me for a second. Cyberlife’s way of manipulating people into buying their product is by making the product pretend that it wants you back. “I’m sure we’ll make a great team.” I couldn’t see the look on the android’s face, but I was certain it had feigned a smile to look friendly and approachable. No wonder people preferred them to other people. 

I sat, grimacing as a sharp pain shot across my left thigh. I touched it gingerly, but as it still felt dry, I decided to check on it later. Instead, I began to tear into the envelopes on my desk, and displayed the “welcome back” cards on my desk, making a mental note to thank people as they passed. “Hank, who were the flowers from?” I said, pushing the vase to one side so I could see the computer screen. 

“Not sure, didn’t see.” He said, staring with his arms crossed at the divider in front of him, his eyes occasionally looking back to the android that now was sitting on the desk in front of him. 

“I’ll ask around, then. Thanks for the card, though.” I waved the card, which had a photograph of Sumo on it, looking adorable as ever. I didn’t expect a reaction, and I didn’t get one. Hank wasn’t great with emotions, so I moved on. “When Fowler said “That guy last night” what did he mean?” I asked Hank, but the android replied instead. 

“Last night a man was found stabbed twenty eight times in the chest by his android who became deviant after he attacked it with a baseball bat. We found the deviant but after we interrogated it, it self destructed.” It told me. 

“Jesus. No wonder you’re in a bad fucking mood today, eh, Hank?” I said with a chuckle, trying to lighten Hank up a bit, but he ignored me. I turned my attention back to the android. “Sorry, what do I call you?” 

“My name is Connor. I’m the android sent-” 

“By Cyberlife. Yeah, got it.” Perhaps Gavin was right, maybe they would be taking over our jobs eventually too. “An android hunting down other androids. Kind of ironic, don’t you think?” 

Connor’s LED flickered yellow for less than a second. “That’s my mission, ironic as it is.” He said, the corner of his mouth raised slightly in what could only  _ just  _ be considered a smile. 

“And who said androids don’t have a sense of humour?” I joked, before turning back to my desk to catch up on the files on deviants, whilst Connor tried small talk with Hank. With Hank in such a foul mood, there was a low chance he’d react well to anything the android said, but it was funny to overhear. 

I’d barely began reading before Connor announced that we should start the investigation with an AX400 that had assaulted somebody last night. Hank ignored him. The android stood and leant over Hank, who turned away to read his tablets. 

“I understand you’re facing personal issues, Lieutenant,” _ Oh god, this couldn’t end well, _ “but you need to move past them and-”  _ Oh, the coldness of androids. Classic. _

“Hey! Don’t talk to me like you know me. I’m not your friend I don’t need your advice, okay?” Hank snarled, glaring at Connor.  _ Don’t push him, Connor,  _ I thought when Connor didn’t move for a second, but he leaned back in, ready to try again. 

“I’ve been assigned this mission, Lieutenant. I didn’t come here to wait until you feel like working.” My jaw dropped. Small, breathy laughs emanated from the back of my throat just as Hank stood and grabbed Connor by the collar and threw him against the wall behind him. 

“Fuck, Hank, stop.” I rose, ignoring the twinge in my thigh. 

“Listen, asshole, if it was up to me, I’d throw the lot of you in a dumpster and set a match to it. So stop pissing me off, or things are gonna get nasty.” Hank snapped, holding the android aloft. 

“Hank, enough. Leave him alone, he’s just doing what he’s been programmed to do.” I said, walking over and putting my hand on his shoulder. Hank lowered Connor to the floor, just as Miller came up behind us. 

“Lieutenant, uh, sorry to disturb you. I have some information on the AX400 that attacked the guy last night.” Miller told us, but Hank didn’t turn around. “It’s been sighted in the Ravendale district.” 

“I’m on it.” Hank turned away from Connor and walked off, the android left looking a little shocked. I couldn’t help it, but I felt bad for the android in that moment. Those big brown eyes filled with confusion just got to me. 

“Don’t mind Hank.” I said, and Connor moved his attention to me. “He’s had it hard, and when he’s hungover, he likes to remind everyone of that. He’ll warm up after he’s had a coffee and some lunch.” I offered a smile, which the android returned, but it still wore a slight frown. So human, yet undeniable android. “Come on, or he’ll throw another hissy fit.” 

 


	2. Chicken Feed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly, Hank and Connor spend the day together and as Hank calms down after his outburst at Connor, Molly begins to open up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy!

We travelled to the Ravendale District in silence, Hank sipping his coffee as he drove. His car was old, antique even, but it was something I had truly come to respect about Hank - he always kept it in good condition. Connor was sat in the back, quietly observing as we passed through the different districts, until we finally came by the motel that the android had been staying at. 

“Bit of a stupid move, don’t you think? Going to a motel after attacking someone. I’d have thought the android would have been smarter than that, considering it doesn’t need warmth or anything.” I surmised, pulling myself out of the car with a grunt. 

“Yes, there is something strange about that.” Connor admitted, with a nod as we headed into the reception. 

“Lieutenant Anderson, Detroit Police.” Hank raised his badge, and I followed suit, flashing my badge at the man. “We’re looking for a female android, robbed a store down the road last night. You see anything?” Hank asked the owner, who was dressed in uniform behind the counter. 

“An android? No… I don’t take androids here.” He said. There was the chance that he didn’t realise she was an android, so Connor raised his hand and displayed an image of the deviant on his hand. 

“Have you seen anyone that looks like this?” Connor asked, and recognition sparked in the man’s eyes. 

“Fuck. I knew there was something weird about her. She came in last night, she was dressed normal, you know? There was no way I could tell.” The man defended himself, but he wasn’t in any trouble - how could he have known? 

“Is it still here?” I asked, my heart picking up speed in anticipation. First day back and already things were exciting. 

“Yeah, probably. Room 28.” The man pointed to our right and immediately Hank was off. 

“Thanks for your time.” I called from the door, not even waiting for Connor to follow as I headed out to Hank, who was already on the phone, calling it in. 

“I’m heading to its room now.” He hung up and turned to Connor. “You wait in the car, and you,” he turned to me, “Just stay behind me.” I wasn’t going to argue with that. Connor, however … 

“I think it’s best if I go with you.” Connor suggested, but Hank was still in a bad mood. 

“Listen, I’m tired of you talkin back to me. You’re a machine, so shut the fuck up and do what I say!” He growled. I rolled my eyes. This was going to get us nowhere. 

“All I want is to accomplish my mission. I’m sorry if that upsets you.” Connor tried to be diplomatic, but it wasn’t working. If one of them would just give in...

“Wanna see the end of your mission? Stop-” 

“Jesus Christ, both of you shut the fuck up and let’s go. This deviant isn’t going to wait around for you two to get your shit together.” I snapped, turning away, towards the room where the deviant was last seen. “Fuck’s sake, Hank, you’re putting me in a fucking grouchy mood today. It’s my first day back, just try to lighten up a little. For my sake.” I said in a low voice so that only he could hear me. 

Hank grunted, but didn’t say anything, and I could tell that that was as close as I was going to get for an apology, for now at least. We headed up the stairs and waited outside the door in silence. Hank pulled his gun, and I reached for mine, my heart hammering. Last time we both had our guns out… _ No. Don’t think about that. In the moment.  _

Hank put a finger to his lips and slowly opened the door, gun raised. I followed him in, my gun also raised, yet it shook slightly with my hand. Hank continued further into the room and with a sigh, lowered his gun and turned back towards us. “It’s gone.”

“Fucks sake.” I muttered, holding back an “I told you so.” I holstered my gun and turned to face Connor, who lowered his head. If it weren’t for the fact he was an android, I’d have thought he were sad. “There’ll be another lead. We’ll figure this out.” I told Connor, feeling minorly affected by his puppy eyes. I pushed past him and headed back to the car. “Fancy some Chicken Feed, Hank?” 

 

\--

 

On the short journey to Hank’s favourite chicken sandwich shop, Hank piped up for once. “How’s the pain?” 

“Fine.” I said automatically. The stern look on Hank’s face told me that he wasn’t going to take that for an answer. “Really, it’s fine.” 

“Don’t give me that bullshit. You can’t sit or stand without pulling a face. If you need more time off-” 

“I’m not taking anymore time off. I’m not. I’m sick of people telling me that. I just want to get back to work. No more sitting around, doing exercises whilst my mother flits around me asking if I’m okay every two seconds. I’m fine, Hank.” I spoke a little more aggressively than I’d liked, but it gave him the message. 

“Alright. Just ... don’t let it get in the way of the investigation.” He grumbled quietly.  “I was also going to suggest that you take some of the painkillers in the glove box, but that’s none of my business.” He said slyly. I bit back a smile and opened the glove box. 

“Thanks, Hank.” I picked up the pills and dry swallowed them, something Hank always seemed to dislike. He squinted slightly as I did so, but otherwise ignored it.

“Well, don’t say I never do anything for you.” He said with a small smile, which I returned. “Food’s on me, kid.” 

We pulled up to the shop and Hank got out without a word. Clearly he’d missed breakfast again - no wonder he was so cranky today. I was about to follow suit when I heard a voice call me from behind. 

“Detective Brookes?” I turned to see Connor leaning forward slightly in his seat, frowning. “It may be none of my business, but why are you in pain?” The question took me aback a little - the only androids to ask those sorts of questions worked in hospitals, and it wasn’t as though he was able to care. It was almost as though he were curious, but perhaps it was more to help with his ability to accomplish his mission. 

“I .. uh, I was in an accident. A bad one. I was in a coma for about a month and in hospital for almost two months after that.” I didn’t delve any deeper, not wanting to get into it, especially with an android - I’d had enough of that with my therapist. Connor’s LED flickered yellow for a moment, but quickly returned to blue. 

“What happened?” He asked, and as much as I didn’t want to talk about it, his soft face seemed so sincere that I answered. 

“A sting op went wrong. I got shot.” I recalled the panic as I realised it was going down hill, the fear as I heard the gunshot, the pain as I felt it hit me-

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Detective. It must have been traumatic.” Connor’s voice was low and soothing, probably something he was programmed to do while assisting police. It was then I noticed the tears in my eyes and the tightness in my throat. I quickly blinked them away, took a steady breath and cleared my throat. 

“Yeah, well, shit happens.” I sniffed, taking off my seatbelt and opening the car door. “Life goes on, and right now, life is handing out free food, an offer I must accept.” I pulled myself out of the car, ignoring the pain as I stood. Shutting the door behind me, I jogged over to Hank, eager to get out of the rain. 

“Sup Pedro, scamming Hank again, are we?” I asked with a chuckle, remembering how pissed Hank was when he realised the tip he’d been given was shit. 

“Nah nah, this time it’s for real.” The kid promised, heading back into the rain. “Glad you’re back on your feet, Brookes.” He said before jogging away. 

“Me too.” I whispered, hoping to spend as much time as possible on the case and away from home. “Just a water and some fries for me, please.” I told Gary, who frowned and put down the chicken he’d been preparing. A look from Hank prompted me to explain. “Doctors said I should start eating better, and drinking more water.” I said with a shrug. “Can’t resist the fries, though.” 

“Few can.” Hank turned slightly at the sound of footsteps behind us, but I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Connor. Hank sighed. “What is your problem? Don’t you ever do as you’re told?” I smirked, loving how much Connor was irritating him. “Look, you don’t have to follow me around like a poodle.” 

Connor turned away, but stayed by Hank’s side. “I’m sorry for my behaviour back at the police station.” I grinned. Oh boy, here comes round 2. “I didn’t mean to be unpleasant.” I chuckled quietly, and I knew Hank could hear it. 

“Oh wow … You’ve even got a brown-nosing apology program.” Hank said with a laugh. “Guys at CyberLife thought of everything, huh?” Connor stayed quiet. 

Gary passed me my box of fries and my water first, and I walked round Hank to Connor, and leaned close to his ear. “Told you he’d be fine once he’s got his food and his coffee.” I whispered, then pulled away to walk to the table, eager to eat. Connor waited for Hank to get his food, and then followed him to where I was already picking at my food. “Thanks, Gary. Perfect, as always.” I called, mouth full of fries. Gary gave a thumbs up from inside the van but continued to work.

Hank pulled open his box and tore into his burger, while Connor stood and watched. “This Pedro, he was proposing illegal gambling, am I right?” Connor asked, frowning.

“Yeah.” Hank said simply. 

“And you made a bet.” Connor continued, as though he couldn’t wrap his head around it. I grinned. Connor’s level of understanding of people was really quite sweet, almost childlike. 

“Yeah.” Hank confirmed, confusing Connor all the more. He looked to me but I just shrugged, leaving Connor to work it out himself. He then proceeded to tell Hank about how he shouldn’t eat the burger due to the cholesterol in it. 

“Everybody’s gotta die of something.” Hank bit into his burger, not caring. In the six years I’d known Hank, I’d never known him to care about his diet, but ever since Cole had died he’d somehow cared even less. 

“Is there anything you’d like to know about me?” Connor asked after a moment. 

“Hell no.” Hank immediately shot him down. “Well, yeah, um, why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?” I choked on my fries. 

“Wow, Hank.” I laughed, clearing my throat. 

“CyberLife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and voice were specifically designed to facilitate my integration.” Connor explained, trying to be helpful. Hank wasn’t having any of it. 

“Well they fucked up.” 

“Christ, you’re fucking savage today.” I said with a snort. I had to disagree, though I’d never tell Hank. I quite liked Connor’s voice, and his face.

“Maybe I should tell you what we know about deviants?” Connor suggested. 

“You read my mind.” Hank said sarcastically, but Connor either didn’t pick up on it or didn’t care. “Proceed.” 

Connor explained why the deviants behaved unpredictably, and how it was a mutation in their software which produced similar effects as an emotion would a human. “They don’t really feel emotions, they just get overwhelmed by irrational instructions, which can lead to unpredictable behaviour.” 

I scoffed. “Same.” Connor frowned. “Is that not what emotions are, Connor?” 

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t feel emotions.” He stated coldly, sending a slight chill down my spine. Hank nodded softly. 

“Emotions always screw everything up. Maybe androids aren’t as different from us as we thought.” Hank said thoughtfully. We at least had something in common there - emotions fucked us over. “You ever dealt with deviants before?” Hank asked, and Connor’s face softened as he thought back. 

“A few months back. A deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl. I managed to save her.” Connor recalled, his voice soft. 

“I remember hearing something about that. You did good, Connor.” I approved, scraping the last of my fries to the corner of the box and pouring them into my mouth. 

“So I guess you’ve done all your homework, right?” Hank then asked. “Know everything there is to know about us?” I tensed, hoping Connor wouldn’t say something that’d upset him. I couldn’t deal with another argument again. Hank sipped his drink, awaiting an answer. 

“I know Detective Brookes, that you are quite young to be a detective, but after solving a major case at the start of the year, managing to capture a serial killer and save several young girls from being murdered, you were promoted. You were, however, incapacitated a few months ago, leaving you with injuries that still give you pain. You are desperate to get back to work, and are known to be a bit of a workaholic.” I squinted while he spoke, hoping he wouldn’t mention anything Hank didn’t already know. “Your therapist recommended you didn’t start work too soon, but did say you were fit to return to work.” 

“Okay, do him next.” I nodded to Hank, not wanting anymore said about me. Just in case. 

“As for Lieutenant Anderson, I know you graduated top of your class. You made a name for yourself in several cases and became the youngest Lieutenant in Detroit.” Hank closed his eyes, waiting on what Connor would say about Cole. I held my breath. “I also know you’ve received several disciplinary warnings in recent years and you spend a lot of time in bars.” Connor stated. 

“So what’s your conclusion?” Hank prompted. I tried to catch Connor’s eye, hoping to somehow relay a message to him about being careful with whatever he was going to say. 

“I think working with an officer with personal issues is an added challenge, but adapting to human unpredictability is one of my features.” Connor said with a wink, when his LED flashed yellow and his eyes twitched. 

“You okay, Connor?” I asked, mildly concerned that he was malfunctioning. 

“I just got a report of a suspected deviant. It’s a few blocks away. We should go have a look.” Connor replied. “I’ll let you finish your meal. I’ll be in the car if you need me.” He added, walking to vehicle parked across the street. 

Hank sighed. “You gonna be up for this, should it come to anything?” He asked, taking another sip from his drink. 

I straightened up and smiled at him. “Of course. Two months I’ve been waiting for this. I’m not going to wait a minute longer. Come on, old man, places to be.” I said cheekily and headed to the car. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys! Comment what you think and if you want me to continue because I need your validation (though I probably will anyway) and let me know of any typos and stuff. Constructive criticism is welcomed, just try not to be harsh, I'm sensitive ;)


	3. Chase

“Quit bouncing around, would ya? You’re getting on my damn nerves.” Hank muttered in the elevator. I couldn’t help it. The excitement was coursing through me to the point where I had to move or I’d explode. 

“Sorry Hank. I just-” 

“I know.” He said, watching the numbers get higher and higher until we were on the correct floor. He understood my excitement. “Well, here we go.” 

I had already stepped forward before the bell sounded, and I squeezed through the gap before the doors had fully opened. I reached the main corridor and turned back to see Hank staring at Connor, who remained motionless in the lift, his eyes closed. 

“Hey Connor, you run out of batteries or what?” Hank asked as Connor’s eyes fluttered open. 

“I’m sorry, I was making a report to Cyberlife.” He explained, but still didn’t move. 

“Come on, Connor, we don’t have all day.” I started down the hall, not waiting for the others. My heart was already drumming. 

“What do we know about this guy?” Hank asked, his voice getting closer as he spoke. 

“Not much. Just that a neighbour reported that he heard strange noises coming from this floor. Nobody’s supposed to be living here, but the neighbour said he saw a man hiding an LED under his cap.” Connor told us as we waited by the door for him. 

“Oh Christ, if we have to investigate every time someone hears a strange noise, we’re gonna need more cops.” Hank muttered grumpily. 

“I don’t know, I have a good feeling about this.” I whispered, letting Connor knock at the door. Nothing. Connor looked to Hank, who just shrugged. Perhaps it was nothing after all. Connor tried again, this time, with more force. 

“Anybody home? Open up, Detroit Police.” Connor called, and before I could smile at his effort, a loud thud emanated from inside the apartment. Immediately Hank pushed the two of us back and pulled out his gun. 

“Stay behind me.” He said, holding his weapon aloft. I pulled mine out too, grabbing at Connor’s clothes to pull him behind me. He looked at me with a frown but didn’t object. I kept my eyes fixed on the door as Hank kicked it down with a grunt, and he headed inside. I followed, gun raised. Hank took the doors on the right and I opened the doors to the left. 

I held my breath as I checked each room, my heart hammering in my chest so hard I could feel it in my throat. Once I knew it was clear, I joined Hank and Connor to get to the closed door ahead of us. Hank kicked the door open, and a burst of birds fluttered straight at us. I gasped and ducked, allowing them to fly past me, before I stood again. 

“What the fuck is this?” Hank cried, just as I entered the room to find it filled with pigeons. We continued, guns raised, and checked the room. “Jesus this place stinks.” I nodded in agreement. 

“No one with a sense of smell could have lived here.” I said, trying not to gag, and failing. I shooed some of the birds out of the way with my foot, careful not to hurt them as I made my way through the room. 

“R.T.” I turned to see Connor put down the Jacket he was holding. “Probably initials.” He concluded, moving towards the shelves beside him. 

“He put his initials on his jacket? That’s something your mom does when you’re in the first grade.” Hank scoffed.

“Someone had better tell my mom.” I said with a chuckle. She’d labelled most of my uniform when I had started working at the DPD, and as ridiculous as it was, it was still endearing. 

“The driver’s license is fake.” Connor said before walking into the bathroom. 

“Cool, at least we didn’t come here for nothing.” Hank joked, scanning the strange markings on the wall. RA9. What did it mean? It was everywhere, covering the walls from floor to ceiling, but I’d never heard of it before. There was the lines too, like a giant maze graffitied onto the wall over and over again. The deviant that put it there must have had a cog loose somewhere. 

Hank moved to the bathroom, and I followed. “Any idea what it means?” Hank asked, staring up at the wall. 

“RA9 written two thousand four hundred and seventy one times. It’s the same sign Ortiz’s android wrote on the shower wall… Why are they obsessed with this sign?” Connor thought aloud. Hank moved back into the main room, muttering about the pigeons to himself. “It’s LED is in the sink,” Connor called, which was no surprise. The only thing that stopped androids from looking human was their LED - if they donned human clothing and behaved human then there was very little way of telling the difference, unless you’d seen that model before. 

“Not surprised it was an android. No human could live with all these fuckin pigeons.” Hank stated. Even if they had no sense of smell, the risk of disease was also very high, so unless the human had no concept of basic hygiene … 

Connor walked over to the closet and opened it slowly. Curious, I walked over, my hand ready to reach for my gun. More pigeons came rushing out in a flock of panic, causing me to jump backwards and almost trip. “Goddamn fucking pigeons, Jesus Christ on a bike.” I gasped, breathing heavily. Connor closed the closet and turned towards me. 

“Are you okay, Detective?” He asked, frowning slightly. He took a step towards me but I quickly turned away and holstered my gun again. 

“Fine, yup. Just … really dislike having this many birds flying around me.” I said, which was mainly true - I wasn’t a huge fan of birds, especially when they flew at me, or even near me. Being around this many was … unpleasant. What I didn’t mention was how this room had me on edge - the drawings on the walls reminded me of the room we were in before I got shot. I felt sick. 

Connor squinted for a moment, and his LED flashed once before he turned away and looked at the birdcage on the ground. I turned to lean against the wall for a moment, breathing deep to slow my heart a little whilst trying not to choke on the smell of shit and tiny feathers. I watched as Connor stood and walked towards the closet again but stopped in front of it and stared up at the hole in the ceiling. I pushed myself up, curious when there was a slight creak, and in a blur of movement, something dropped from the ceiling. It landed on Connor, who gasped in shock as he was knocked to the floor, sending cascades of pigeons into the air. I backed away instinctively. 

It was the deviant, I realised as the pigeons began to clear. “Goddamn fuckin pigeons!” Hank yelled, trying to swat them away. “What are you waiting for? Chase it!” He shouted at Connor, who was already on his feet. Connor wasted no time and was round the corner in a split second. 

I hadn’t realised I was moving until Connor was out the apartment and I had reached the door, following him as fast as I could. The all-too-familiar pain in my thigh returned, but I ignored it, racing after Connor and the deviant. In the hallway, the deviant had knocked over a shelving unit, and by the time I reached it, Connor had already reached the door. Without thinking, I leapt over the barrier, easily passing over it. If only I’d stuck the landing. I landed awkwardly and a sharp pain gripped my upper thigh, as though something had ripped. I let out a short cry and leaned against the wall, raising my wounded leg. Within seconds Hank pushed the shelf out the way and walked towards the door, before stopping to look back at me. 

“You okay?” He asked, concerned, but he was shaking with adrenaline, ready to continue the chase.  

“I’m fine, I’ll be right behind you.” I told him. He gave a small nod and raced off. I took a deep breath, stood upright and followed him, slow at first, but gaining speed quickly. I hadn’t give Hank enough credit for how fast he was, but the old man was deceivingly speedy. 

I finally caught up to him on one of the rooftops, where he had paused as he watched Connor chase the deviant, jumping from a train to a ladder and climbing it seemingly effortlessly up to the roof. “Holy shit.” Hank said, a little out of breath. 

I looked to the direction they were heading, and pointed to another set of rooftops that we could get too from here, heading in the same direction they were in. “Hank, that way!” I called, and immediately he ran. I took another deep breath, ignoring the ever increasing pain in my leg, and continued the chase, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, careful not fall. 

“There he is!” I shouted, just as he came into view. Hank leapt on him, but was thrown off with ease. He fell backwards and toppled over the edge of the roof, where he clung on for dear life. My heart stopped, but Connor was there. He paused, staring at the deviant, but quickly decided against the chase. He grabbed Hank and pulled him from the ledge. 

“Shit, Hank, are you okay?” I slowed down, waited for him to stand and then pulled him into a hug. “Jesus Christ don’t scare me like that.” I quickly pulled away, remembering that Hank wasn’t really a hug person. 

“We had it.” He shouted in frustration. “Fuck.” 

“It’s my fault, I should have been faster.” Connor said, his LED a solid yellow. He looked … pained, as though this was more than just a mission. It was like he had said, it was what he was made to do.

“Connor, it wasn’t your fault. You did all you could, and it was … kind of amazing.” I admitted, putting my hand on his arm in an attempt at comfort.  _ Except he’s an android. He doesn’t need comfort.  _ I quickly took my hand away. 

“You’d have caught it if it weren’t for me.” Hank stated breathily. 

“Don’t you go blaming yourself either.” I said with a chuckle, but Connor still frowned. “It’ll be okay, we know what it looks like now, it can’t hide forever.” I added, but Connor’s LED remained yellow as he stared out towards where the deviant had gone. Hank walked towards the door to the inside of the building but then turned. 

“Hey, Connor?” He started, as the android turned around, looking dazed. Hank thought for a moment, but couldn’t bring himself to say whatever he had wanted to say. “Nothing.” Hank turned back inside and left us on the roof, Connor extremely still, as though he were processing what had just happened. 

“Thank you.” I said, which seemed to pull him out of his thoughts for a second. “For saving Hank. I know your mission is to find deviants and stuff, but the fact that you saved him instead of going after the deviant … it means a lot. To Hank and to me.” I hoped Connor would say something back, but instead I was left in awkward silence. “We uh … well, we should probably get going. Then. If you’re okay. Are you okay? You light is yellow, is that a-” 

“You’re bleeding.” Connor stated, his LED changing back to blue. 

“I- what?” I looked to my side, where the pain had been earlier, and a dark red stain marked my trousers. “Oh shit.” I pressed my hand against the mark on my outer thigh, and it was still wet, and still very sore. “I … I need to check how bad this is. Connor, could you look away for a moment?” I asked, and he obliged, turning around. 

I sat myself on the ground and pulled my trousers down to see the damage. My skin was fine up until the line where there was a slight change in colour, and the skin dipped inwards - the line where my real leg finished and my synthetic leg began. All sorts of thoughts and memories sprang to the back of my mind, but I pushed them away and felt for the sore. It was only small, but it’d been causing me pain for several days. I looked at my hand, which was now stained with blood.

It was then my head began to pound. “Fucksake.” I muttered, pulling my trousers up and standing. “Connor, you can turn back around.” I said, reaching my hand to the base of my skull on the left hand side. The skin on my left hand seemed to melt away, as did the skin around the implant on the back of my neck. I held it there for a few seconds until my left eye went dark, and the pounding in my head began to fade. 

Connor frowned, taking it all in, his LED flashed yellow once before returning to blue. I grabbed my phone and quickly messaged Hank, telling him he didn’t have to wait for us. I didn’t want him to see this. I walked slowly to the door, trying to put as little pressure on my left leg as possible. A hand snaked round my shoulder and lifted my leg off the ground. Wordlessly, Connor helped me down and out of the building. 

“If you have questions, now is probably the best time to ask them.” I announced, when we reached the elevator. “I just have to ask … please don’t tell Hank, or anyone at the police station. It would mean a lot, if you didn’t tell them.” I added, leaning myself against the elevator wall with a soft sigh. Connor pressed the button for the bottom floor. 

“You said you were shot.” Connor started, but I knew what he meant. 

“Yeah … I was shot. Directly in my left eye. I don’t really remember clearly, it tends to come in flashes, but from what I pieced together I fell backwards, directly into traffic. I got hit by a truck, and it shattered the bones in my left arm and left leg. Broke a bunch of ribs too.” I paused and took a breath. I hadn’t spoken to anyone about it before, except my therapist, and putting what had happened into words made it feel more real. As I reflected, I saw it happen again, and again. I cleared my throat and brushed away the tears that had begun to well up. 

“I also broke my right leg and arm, but my left arm and leg had to be amputated. My right leg got septic so then that had to go too.” The tears refused to disappear, instead running freely down my cheeks. Fucking emotions. I swallowed and continued. “I was in a coma for a month whilst they operated. That was when  _ Cyberlife _ approached my mom.” I spat, bitterly. I hadn’t wanted the surgeries. At that point I just wanted to die, but I wasn’t even allowed that. 

“They asked her if I’d agree to taking part in experimental surgeries, and she said yes.” It was strangely easy telling Connor. He didn’t interrupt or ask questions, he just let me talk and get it out, and I didn’t feel scared telling him. I didn’t feel judged or like I had changed as a person because half of me wasn’t real anymore. That was one of the reasons I was scared to tell Hank; he had never liked androids or technology, and yet it was a part of me now, and I had no idea how he’d react. 

“I’m sorry that happened to you.” Connor said softly, and for the first time, I believed the sincerity in his big brown eyes. They seemed genuinely warm, and for a short moment, I was lost in them. 

The elevator bell rang, and the doors opened, snapping my attention to the door. Connor was immediately by my side, ready to continue the walk to the front door. “Would you like me to call an ambulance?” Connor asked when we reached the front doors. Several cars were outside, one of them a taxi. Perfect.

I shook my head. “No need, I’ll just get a taxi or something. I’ll need a couple of stitches maybe, but I should probably head to Cyberlife. They said they’d deal with any faults, and this is definitely that.” I gave a small smile, which he returned. “Thank you, Connor. For letting me talk and helping me and stuff. I appreciate it …” 

“Anytime, detective.” Connor walked me over to the taxi, allowing me to lean on him whilst I got the door. Being this close to him, even if he was just an android … it was strangely exciting.

“Call me Molly. It’s my name after all.” I chuckled. 

“Molly.” He said thoughtfully. “It’s probably not my place, but … I can see that Lieutenant Anderson has a connection with you, and you with him. Perhaps he should know about this. We are all in this case together, and it shouldn’t get in the way.” Connor was probably right. Fuck.

“I’ll think about it. I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow then.” I couldn’t think about it now, I had to get my leg fixed, and soon. It struck me then that I didn’t want him to go. I’d see him tomorrow.

“See you tomorrow, Molly.” Connor said softly. I felt his eyes on me as I entered the taxi, but I didn’t check to see if he was looking, but the very idea made my heart beat faster.  _ What was wrong with me?  _


	4. New and Improved

Cyberlife had many facilities all over detroit: stores, warehouses, factories, the Cyberlife Tower. But I wasn’t headed to any of those. I was, instead, headed to a small building on the outskirts of the city centre, close to one of the hospitals. The building itself didn’t look like it could belong to Cyberlife, but I supposed they wanted it to look inconspicuous. 

I got out and hobbled to the door, pressing the buzzer, and once I heard the the microphone crackle, I spoke. “Molly Brookes. It’s urgent.” and within seconds, the door swung open, to reveal a female android. 

“Molly, welcome back.” She smiled brightly, but there was no hint of life behind her eyes.  _ Unlike Connor’s-  _ Stop.  _ No. He’s a machine. _ I pushed the thought away and hopped into the building as the android shut the door behind me. “Let me help you, Molly.” The android held out her arm and I took it, letting her help me to the waiting room. 

Within a matter of seconds, a doctor came through the door to the doctor’s office, his face in a frown. “Ah, Molly, what brings you back so soon?” He asked before his eyes landed on my leg. “Oh I see, Olivia, help her through.” The doctor turned around, and sped back into his office, while the android helped me into the room and sat me on the chair. “Ok, take off your trousers.” The doctor put on his glasses and sat on his wheelie chair, then used his feet to drag himself over to my side. 

“It’s been hurting for a couple of days, but today I was in the field and it just … tore.” I explained, lying back with my trousers round my ankles, revealing the large gash in my leg where the skin had ripped open. 

“Hmmm, okay, well first let’s stitch this up.” The doctor grabbed his tools, put on his gloves and got to work, sanitising the wound before getting to work. The wound was stitched up quickly and a bandage was placed over the top. “We also have some upgrades that we’d like you to have a look at. New legs that shouldn’t give you as many sores, upgrades to your eye-” 

“What? I’m not here for surgery, I just need this fixed. I have to be back at work tomorrow-” I wasn’t going to have more surgeries. Not again. I stood but the android, Olivia, held me down, her grip on my arms firm. 

“There won’t be any surgery, you don’t have to worry. We’ll just remove your legs, with the connectors still on you so we just switch them over. They should be easier on your thighs. Seeing as androids don’t feel pain, it was an oversight on our part. And for the eye, we just need to access the panel at the back of your neck to put in some upgrades and then switch out the lenses.” The doctor explained, calming me down. I lay back down with a huff, and the android loosened her grip. 

“No surgery.” I repeated to myself, trying to slow my racing heart.  _ It’ll be fine, no surgery. Nothing too intrusive.  _ “Okay.” 

The doctor smiled. “The worst of it is already over.” He tapped my legs before standing and heading into the other room, where he retrieved two artificial legs. “Custom made.” He reached for the panel at the back of my head and cut off the nerve signals to my artificial limbs, also making my left arm go limp. I couldn’t help but tense. He pulled my left leg off and replaced it with the new one, then did the same with the right leg. 

“See, easy as pie. Now for the eye!” He dashed out of the room once more, and this time he was gone for longer. Olivia had let go of my arms, but she still stood patiently by my side. 

“Olivia?” The android looked at me expectantly. “If you could do anything, absolutely anything, what would you do?” I asked, using my one working eye to watch her face for any minute reaction, but there was none. 

“I am a machine, Molly. I do not have wants, except to serve and help in any way I can.” Olivia stated with a smile that didn’t follow through to her eyes. Again, very unlike Connor. 

“Ok, but … what about if you had one day off. One day to do anything.” I prompted, and Olivia’s LED flashed yellow. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand the question.” She answered with a frown. I sighed and turned away, looking at my new legs, which were reskinning themselves to match my skin tone. 

“No worries. It was just a thought.” I told her, and she turned back to her still stature facing the door. Why did she seem so robotic and yet Connor didn’t? He had said he was programmed to adapt to human behaviour … But it felt like something more. Or, perhaps, I was reading too much into it and Cyberlife were just really good at making their androids feel real. For some unknown reason, I hoped it wasn’t in his programming.  _ Stop. He’s a machine. Stop it.  _ I’d ask him the same question next time I saw him.

“Ah, got it!” The doctor came back into the room, distracting me from my thoughts. He walked over with a small tub, and as he sat down, I could see a couple of things in the tub, not just my new lenses. “Ok, just lie back and I’d probably try to keep your other eye closed. Olivia, hold her left eye open.” I closed my eye, but I still felt Olivia pull my eyelids open. There was a small bit of pressure before something gave way with a quiet pop, which made me nauseous. After some more pressure, there was a click and then Olivia pulled her hands away and I blinked. 

“Is it done?” I asked, opening my right eye, just in time to see the doctor throwing the wet eye in the bin. I gagged. 

“Yes, we just need to put some upgrades into your panel. If you don’t mind…” I sat up and let him open it up again, and he slotted some small components into the back of my skull. With the press of a tiny button, I could feel my limbs once more. “Ok, now let me explain these upgrades to you, because they are a little complex and could be a bit overwhelming.” He wasn’t joking. 

Already I was looking around and my eye was scanning his face and I learnt from the police database about him. His name was Doctor Michael Carlisle, and he had been arrested once for theft when he was seventeen. He had been born on December 30th in 1991, a Capricorn. I quickly looked away, to Olivia - an LM300, serial number #244 310 985-

I gasped. “What the fuck is this?” I squeaked, closing my eyes so it couldn’t scan anything. I didn’t need this. I didn’t want it. I just want a normal eye that can see without giving me migraines. Instead of seeing nothing however, a menu appeared in my vision. 

“It’ll take some getting used to, but you can mentally turn it off now, no need to open the panel or anything. You can access the internet, send texts if you link up your phone, take videos and photos with your eye, which you can then upload or even use as evidence in court. You can now also disable your limbs from here and-” 

“Doc, I just want to be able to see, and walk and use my hands. I don’t need all this shit.” Tears were forming in my eyes. It was too much. 

“Well, like I said, you can enable and disable anything you want from the menu when you close your eyes. Play around with it, you might find it useful.” Doctor Carlisle said, pulling his chair away from me. “Now, stand and walk around so I know you can.” He said, and I did so, after disabling the constant scanning, which was easier than I expected. He was right about one thing for sure, though - these new legs were a lot comfier, and didn’t put so much pressure on the places where I had sores. 

I walked, jogged, lifted my legs as high as I could and there was no pain. It was incredible. “Thanks, Doctor.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say. 

“Oh, and just so you know, we’re moving this facility. Here’s the new address.” Doctor Carlisle handed me a card with all the details on it, which I slipped in my right jacket pocket. After a little more explanation, he bid me farewell and I headed out again. I should probably check in on Hank, seeing as he was on the way home, and it’d mean less time at home. Perfect. 

I hailed another taxi and took it to Hank’s house, but the more I thought about talking to him, the more fear clawed at me. What if he no longer trusts me because I hadn’t told him in the first place? He doesn’t trust Cyberlife or androids anyway, what if this damages our relationship? What if he thinks I’m not fit to work and tells the Captain? 

I closed my eyes, hoping to find an option that’d help me calm myself down, but there wasn’t one. Dammit. That would have been more useful. Maybe I’d just call him, he was probably drunk anyway so there was a good chance he had passed out. I’d look through his window if he didn’t answer, just in case. I dialled up Hank’s number and within seconds the call was accepted. 

“Damn, Hank, I don’t think you’ve ever picked up so quickly.” I joked, my nerves calming. 

“Detective Brookes.” It wasn’t Hank’s voice. It was Connor’s. And as nice as it was to hear his voice, it made my stomach drop. Why hadn’t Hank answered? Was he okay? Why was Connor there? Had Hank- Oh god, no, he couldn’t- 

“Connor where is Hank? Is he okay? Wh-” 

“Lieutenant Anderson is fine, he’s just … unable to come to the phone right now.” Connor said, and as if on cue, I heard the sound of Hank vomiting. He was okay. 

“Well, just give him some water and maybe some bread if you think he can stomach it, and I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I breathed deep, releasing the tension I hadn’t realised I was holding. “So much for seeing you tomorrow.” I said with a laugh. 

“Will I not be seeing you tomorrow also?” Connor asked, and I could practically see his confused face. It warmed my heart. 

“Nevermind. I’m a couple of roads away, be prepared to open the door.” I said, then hung up. Jesus. Today couldn’t have been more of a rollercoaster. I held my phone in my lap and closed my eyes, when a message popped up on the menu. 

Pair with device: Mollbile       Yes? No? 

That was … easy. I thought “yes” and it was done, and through my closed eyes lay yet more possibility. All my phone numbers, contacts and their details, any photos I had, I could see in my mind’s eye, and it stayed as an overlay when I opened them. Wow. With just a thought, the overlay disappeared. This was quite something. 

The taxi pulled up outside Hanks place and I quickly leapt out and rushed to the door, admiring how easy it was to move now. Perhaps this wasn’t all as bad as I was thinking. With just a thought, I messaged Hank’s phone to let them know I was here. 

Connor answered the door, Hank nowhere to be seen. Sumo trotted over and licked my hand in greeting. 

“Hello, Sumo. Who’s a good boy? It’s you! Yes, you are!” I bent down and stroked his face, holding his head and giving him a kiss before I stood again to greet Connor. “Hey, Con, is Hank okay?” I asked, walking inside, not daring to look the android in the eyes. 

“He’s fine, he’s just getting ready. He said to give him five minutes.” Connor answered, shutting the door behind me. “I was going to come pick you up next, but I wasn’t sure of your whereabouts. I thought Hank would know better.” 

“You’d be wrong there. I came straight here from getting my leg stitched and sorted.” I told him quietly, looking towards Hank’s room to make sure he wasn’t coming out as I spoke. I walked to the kitchen to look for food, knowing I’d find some leftover takeaway somewhere. I opened a pizza box on the table and took out a cold slice, eating as I started to clean up a little, putting any remaining food in the fridge and all the trash in the bin. 

It was then I saw the gun on the floor, next to an empty bottle of whisky, a lot of it wasted, leaving the tiles sticky. “Goddamn it, Hank. Next time you plan on playing Russian Roulette, you call me. How many times?” I shouted, picking up the gun and the bottle. “Next time I find you’ve done it, I’m coming over and killing you myself.” I threw the bottle into the bin and placed the gun carefully on the table. 

“You threatened me with that last time.” Hank rounded the corner, making me jump. 

“Fucking …” I took a breath. “Yeah, well this time I mean it.” I said with a staring him in the eyes to let him no I was serious before I let myself relax back into a smile.  _ He was okay. _ I then turned to Connor. “So why are we sobering him up?” 

“There’s been another murder. Deviant at the Eden club-”

“The sex club?” My heart stopped for a second. Hank seemed surprised that I’d heard of it. Perhaps he’d forgotten in his drunk state. I hoped he had. “Don’t ask.” I waited by the passenger’s door. 

“I’ll drive.” Connor walked towards the driver’s door. 

“Connor, I can drive, it’s fine.” I started towards the driver’s side, holding my hands out for the keys. Connor squinted for a second as he looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on my leg where the bandage was. 

“What about …” He hesitated, not wanting to say anything in front of Hank. 

I hadn’t meant to, but my gaze turned hard. “I’m fine.” I snapped. I watched as he looked away for a moment, uncomfortable with my sudden coldness. I felt a twinge of guilt.  _ He’s a machine, he won’t care,  _ I had to remind myself. “I’ll sit in the back. Don’t want Hank getting carsick or anything.” I moved to help Hank into the passenger’s side as Connor slowly got into the driver’s seat, his eyes lingering on me as I got into the backseat. I caught his eye in the rearview mirror, and I softened my expression to try and let him know I didn’t mean to snap at him. 

Connor’s LED flickered yellow and he returned his eyes to the road, reversing out of Hank’s drive and heading off to the crime scene. Hank was already asleep and breathing heavily. 

Another case. More time until I had to go home. I was almost grateful to the deviant for murdering the victim. I closed my eyes and sent my mother a text to let her know I’d be out late, and when I opened my eyes again, I could have sworn I saw Connor’s eyes move from the rearview mirror back to the road. I shook my head and stared out the window, silently awaiting the crime scene. 


	5. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long guys, I'm on holiday and so it's kinda hard to write when you've been spending all day going out and stuff. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!   
> Updates should become more regular a bit after mid August :)

“I didn’t mean to snap at you, Connor.” I made sure Hank was snoring before I spoke. “I was scared you were going to say something, or that Hank would catch on and … I just have a lot on my mind.” I admitted, watching Connor as he drove. Even if he was just a machine, the guilt had been eating away at me and I had to apologise to ease that tiny part of me that disagreed and told me  _ he’s something more _ . 

“There’s nothing to apologise for.” Connor kept his eyes on the road, taking the right hand turn that led up to the club. Silence once again befell the car. 

“Connor, can I ask you a strange question?” I thought back to what I’d asked the android, Olivia, earlier. Connor raised his eyebrows and looked at me through the rearview mirror, prompting me to continue. “If you could do anything at all, not just what you were programmed to do but anything, what would you do?” 

Connor’s LED flashed yellow and he frowned in thought. Already, he was behaving completely differently to Olivia, who had barely reacted at all and gave a straight answer. Connor was actually thinking about it. “I suppose I’d want to continue doing this. Police work is really all I’ve ever known, and …” His LED flashed yellow once again, but this time for less than a second. “You could say, I enjoy it. I always accomplish my mission.” He stated, so very different from Olivia. 

Maybe it was just the way he was programmed - he was a newer model after all, and a prototype at that. It could be that Cyberlife was now just extremely good at making their products seem more human, but once again a part of me disagreed. That same part of me wanted him to be something more. 

“How are you feeling?” Connor’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. 

“I … uh … I’ve been better, but I have some funky new upgrades to try and figure out. Check this out.” I sent a text to Hank’s phone of a smiley face, and a split second later, Hank’s phone pinged. Hank woke with a start, leaning forward and immediately regretting it. I grinned. 

“Aw, feels like somebody’s playing with a drill inside my skull.” He groaned as we pulled up outside the club. I knew that feeling. Sirens wailed in the distance, and police lights continued to flash, probably making Hank’s headache worse. It certainly wasn’t doing me any favours. “You sure this is the place?” 

“It’s the address in the report.” Connor stated, staring at the building, which had lights shimmering from pink to purple to blue and back again. 

“Right … Okay…” Hank took a few breaths before gathering up the energy to get out of the car. “Let’s get going.” 

“Ugh, man, fuck this rain.” I pulled my jacket over my head and rushing under the cover. 

“Sexiest androids in town? Now I know why you insisted on coming here.” Hank muttered sarcastically, taking the lead into the building. I felt … uncomfortable, but tried not to let it show. I stayed behind Connor, hoping that neither would turn around and look at me. 

The doors slid open automatically, and a voice spoke from above, welcoming us in a sultry voice. Androids lined the hallway in tubes, each one numbered as they danced provocatively. I planted my eyes to the floor, watching Connor’s feet so as not to bump into him. 

I looked up in the next room to see androids danced on poles, swaying their hips in slow rhythmic movements. The female android looked me in the eyes as she danced, and my heart fluttered. I looked away and pushed past Connor, moving to Hank and the other investigators who were stood outside the room of the incident. 

Ben Collins, one of the officers on the scene turned to us with a gruff face. “Hey, Hank. Ms Brookes, welcome back!” He gave a quick smile before turning to Hank, who he was closer with. 

“Hey Ben, how’s it going?” 

Ben just huffed and shook his head. “It’s that room there. Oh, uh, by the way … Gavin’s in there too.”  _ Fantastic _ . 

“Oh great. A dead body and an asshole, just what I needed.” Hank walked towards the room, then paused and looked at me. “You gonna be okay?” 

“It’ll be fine. Gavin’s an ass but he’ll mind his own business for a bit.” I didn’t sound confident, and perhaps I wasn’t, but he’d at least try to be decent. Hopefully.

“Lieutenant Anderson and his plastic pet …” Gavin’s eyes then landed on me. “Molly.” I could see he wanted to say something else, but I gave him a cold stare and he decided against it. “The fuck are you guys doing here?” 

“We’ve been assigned all cases involving androids.” Connor informed, helpfully. 

“Oh yeah?” Gavin looked Connor up and down, then looked back at the body. “Well, you’re wasting your time. Just some pervert who, uh, got more action than he could handle.” Gavin laughed, but nobody else did. 

“We’ll have a look anyway, if you don’t mind.” Hank protested calmly, and Gavin scoffed. 

“Come on, let’s go.” He told the other officer in the room, Miller, who stood, ready to leave. “It’s uh, starting to stink of booze in here.” Gavin eyed Hank as he passed. Gavin took a step closer to me and I backed into the wall, not wanting to be any closer to him. “You look well, Molly.” He said, then moved on, slamming his shoulder into Connor. I took a deep breath, not realising I’d been holding it. Asshole. 

“Good night, Lieutenant. Night Detective.” Officer Miller said, trailing after Gavin. I felt sorry he had to work with the bastard. 

“Fucking Gavin, man.” I sighed, looking at the crime scene. I closed my eyes and turned on the scanner, wondering if it’d help me at all. Connor walked over to the android, while I picked the victim, and just as I reached his body, I heard Hank cry out. 

“Whoa, hey! Hey! Hey! Argh, Connor, you’re so disgusting!” I span round to see Connor sticking his first two fingers in his mouth. “Think I’m gonna puke again.” Hank moaned, turning away. I quickly turned away as well, getting my brain to focus on work again. I didn’t want to know what he was doing.

I stared at the victim’s neck, which showed signs of bruising. I took a closer look and saw the bruises formed the shape of hands, as though the victim had been strangled. I looked at his face, and found who he was - Michael Graham, no criminal record. “He was strangled.” I muttered, but Hank overheard. 

“Yeah, saw the bruising on the neck. Doesn’t prove anything though, could have been rough play.” Hank said softly. 

“I’ll never understand why people like that.” I touched my neck, looking over to the android. “Is there any way to fix her? Maybe she could tell us, or show us what happened.” I suggested, as Connor moved over to her. He put his hand on her wrist. He shook his head. 

“The only way to access its memory is to reactivate it.” He said, placing his hand on her stomach. 

“Think you can do it?” Hank asked, walking closer to us. I watched as the android’s skin disappeared, revealing the inner shell of her stomach. 

“If I can, it’ll only be for a minute, maybe less.” Connor admitted, opening up the stomach to reveal the broken inner components. “I just hope it’s long enough to learn something.” I looked away as Connor put his hands inside the android’s stomach, but my gaze was brought back when I heard her gasp. She got to her hands and knees and crawled away from Connor, panting in fear. Empathy kicked in.

“Hey, it’s okay, we’re not going to hurt you.” I bent down next to her, trying to reassure her. “We just need to ask you a few questions.” 

Connor approached slowly, then crouched next to me. “You were damaged and I reactivated you. Everything is all right.” He sounded so … robotic, then. I wasn’t sure that would calm her down until I saw her LED change from red to yellow. 

“Is he … Is he dead?” She asked, glancing at the body. She looked anxious still, and it didn’t feel mimicked or fake at all - I truly felt for her. 

“Tell me what happened.” Connor said, and the android began. 

“He started hitting me … again and again …” Her voice trembled, and my heart broke for her. “I begged him to stop but he wouldn’t” 

“He’s gone now. It’s over.” I cooed, resisting the urge to give her a hug.  _ She’s an android, dammit.  _

“Did you kill him?” Connor asked, but she shook her head. 

“No, no it wasn’t me…” She said, but she didn’t say who strangled him. 

“Were you alone in the room? Was there anyone else with you?” Connor was almost shouting at this point. 

“He wanted to play with two girls. That’s what he said, there was two of us.” She said quickly, her eyes brimming with tears. My eye scanned her and noticed she only had a few seconds left. These were her last moments. 

“What model was the other android? Did it look like you?” Connor asked urgently, but the android didn’t reply. She looked at me and her eyes went dark, her LED turning red and then blank. Connor sighed, standing up, not caring about the dead girl. 

“So there was another android...” Hank stated, thinking. “This happened over an hour ago, it’s probably long gone.” He surmised. I wasn’t really listening. Instead, I rubbed my eyes and gently lay her down, closing her eyes so it looked like she was sleeping. I stared at her, trying to remove the look in her eyes from my mind. The look she gave me as she died. I had no doubts - she had been alive and conscious. 

“Molly.” Hank’s voice stirred me from my thoughts. “Molly she wasn’t real. It was an imitation of life, that’s all.” Hank stood behind me, prompting me to stand. I turned to face him, not caring what he thought. 

“You didn’t see the light fade from her eyes as she died. She was alive.” I hissed, staring him in the eyes defiantly before moving away.I left the room, moving past Connor, who was watching, his LED flickering for a moment. I looked at the owner of the joint, who was standing awkwardly whilst we carried out our investigation.  _ Floyd Mills-  _ I closed my eyes and turned off the scan.  _ That’s quite enough of that, for now.  _

“So, Mr Mills, did you know the victim?” I asked, ignoring Hank as he walked up behind me. 

“No, I mean, he came in two or three times … I mean these guys don’t really talk very much, you know. They come in, do their business and then go on their way…” He explained. I swallowed. The one time I’d been here … it had been an experience to say the least. 

“You ever had any trouble with androids before?” Hank asked, stepping in. 

“No way!” Floyd objected, but there was something in his voice that I didn’t believe. “Well …” There it was. “Once. We lost a model two to three months back, er … same model … just vanished. We never found out what happened.” 

“Excuse me.” Connor said, walking over. “Can one of you come here a second?” He asked politely. 

“Found something?” Hank asked. 

“Maybe....” Connor turned away, leaving us both intrigued. We both followed him to a tube with a Traci dancing erotically in it. She looked at me and bit her lip. I blushed and looked away. “Can’t you rent this Traci?” Connor inquired, looking between me and Hank. 

“Nope, I’m out.” I turned away immediately, avoiding his eyes. 

“For fuck’s sake, Connor, we got better things to do.” Hank scolded aggressively. 

“Please, Lieutenant. Detective.” I turned back around with a sigh, to meet his gaze. Once more, it felt so human and warm that for a moment I was going to do it, no questions asked. But I stopped myself. “Just trust me.” 

Hank grunted, but put his hand on the pad to rent the girl. “Hello. A thirty minute session costs $29.99. Please confirm your purchase.” The automated voice said. Hank looked at Connor, and then to me. I shrugged - if nothing else, it would be a funny story.

“This is not going to look good on my expense account.” He said with a sigh, before completing the purchase. 

“Purchase confirmed. Eden Club wishes you a pleasant experience.” The voice said, and I smirked. 

“Yeah, you’re welcome.” Hank muttered as the tube opened up and the android stepped out. 

“Delighted to meet you. Follow me, I’ll take you to your room.” She said suggestively, holding out her hand to him with a smile. I snorted. 

“Thank you for this, Connor.” I said with a chuckle, covering my mouth with my hand. Hank scowled, only making me laugh more. 

“Ok, now what?” He asked Connor, who was already walking up to the android. The smile on her face faded slightly, but she didn’t pull away when he held out his hand to grab her arm. “Holy shit, Connor. The hell are you doing?” Connor stayed quiet for a moment, but then let go of the android and faced us. 

“It saw something.” He said. I just about saw his LED changing from yellow back to blue. 

“What are you talking about? Saw what?” Hank took a step forward curiously.

“The deviant leave the room. A blue haired Traci.” Connor’s whole body looked as though it were coming to life, as though this was what it was made to do - which I suppose it was. “Club policy is to wipe the android’s memory every two hours. We only have a few minutes if we want to find another witness.” He said and then looked at me, his eyes bright with an idea. With just that look, I could tell what he was thinking. 

“One moment, Hank.” I pulled Connor away until we were out of earshot. “Look, I’m all up for paying for the androids, but if you’re thinking of anything else …” 

“I have software that’ll allow you to probe their memories. All you have to do is hold their hand and-” 

“Connor, it’s out of the question. If Hank sees…” I couldn’t bare to think of what would happen. There was always a chance he’d be okay with it, but I wanted to tell him on my terms in my own time, not have him find out like this. 

“It’ll be fine, Molly, I promise.” I knew he was saying that so that I’d help him. God help me, I knew it. But his big brown eyes were begging me, as though nothing else meant more to him. I sighed. 

“Fine.” Connor gave a small smile and turned so that he blocked Hank and anyone else’s view of our hands. “Subtle.” I muttered, but Connor ignored it, holding out his skinless hand. I slowly gave him mine, letting it deskin itself before he took it in his. In the corner of my eye, I saw a download bar go from 0-100% in a second, and it was done. But that wasn’t all. 

In the half second between the download finishing and us letting go, I saw a rooftop with an android holding a child, a gun in its hand. It let the child go, but within seconds it was shot into pieces. “You lied to me, Connor.” It’s voice echoed in my head. His name was Daniel… 

I backed away. “What the fuck was that.” I gasped, a little louder than I was meant to. My hand reskinned itself as I looked back up at Connor with a frown, but he himself was frozen, his LED blinked from red to yellow. “Connor, are you okay?” 

“I’m … I’m okay. I just-” 

“Well come on, you two, we haven’t got all day.” Hank said, walking over. I looked back at Connor, his LED was stuck on yellow, but he nodded and quickly moved away, not looking at me. 

“This one.” He said, and Hank opened it. “Detective Brookes, try that one over there.” Connor didn’t look at me, but pointed to some androids close to the door to the red room. I went silently and opened the tube, hoping that Cyberlife would pay me back for this after the investigation. 

“Delighted to meet you. Shall we?” The android said, holding my hand and pulling my gently towards a bedroom. I couldn’t help but laugh, a little uncomfortable.

“I um, sorry about this.” I deskinned my hand and held her hand with it and closed my eyes, digging into her memory. It was the strangest sensation, to be looking through the memories of someone else, but it had to be done. I scanned and saw the blue haired Traci head into the red room. I let go of the android’s hand and pulled away, reskinning my hand when Connor walked up behind me. 

“It went that way.” I pointed to the red room, and he nodded, heading there straight away. A message pinged in my mind, and I opened it up without thinking about it. 

_ I know your secret - G  _

I looked around immediately, and saw Gavin on his phone, a smirk on his face. He put the phone away and looked up, staring directly at me. He looked me up and down, winked, and walked away. My heart stopped. Gavin knew. Gavin saw. Gavin was going to tell everybody, just like he did last time. 


	6. Eden Club Blues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm home from holiday so updates should be more regular (or as regular as they can be with me at work) so here you are! 
> 
> By the way, thanks for the kudos guys, it means a lot! :)

_ If you want to say something, say it to my face. _

I messaged him back, following Hank and Connor through the staff door. I was so focused on the words that I almost bumped into Hank as he told Connor to stand behind him. I didn’t have time to argue with Gavin, I had to be present. I pulled out my gun and pushed Connor behind me, taking a deep breath. Hank opened the door and stepped in first, gun raised. I followed suit, lowering it slightly when I noticed how many androids were in the room. 

“Shit, we’re too late!” Hank said, rushing over to the open warehouse doors. I followed him, looking outside to where the deviant could have gone. Hank put his gun away, sighing. 

“There’s no footprints…” I whispered to Hank, who scanned the ground, he glanced at me with a nod, and then turned to look around. 

_ What happened to your hand, detective? - G _

I flinched as the message appeared in my vision.  _ Fuck’s sake, Gavin, now is not the time. _ I turned around and pretended to look at the androids in the corner so I could message him back. 

_ I was in an accident, or were you so absorbed in your own life that you hadn’t noticed? _

A loud grunt sounded from the other side of the room, and I span round to see Connor wrestling with another android - except it wasn’t the blue haired Traci. It had short brown hair. Before I could react, Hank rushed forward, pulling his gun out.

“Don’t move!” He ordered, pointing the gun at the androids. I pulled out my own gun and stepped forward, when a flash of blue entered my vision - the blue haired Traci leapt on Hank, knocking him off balance. 

“Let him-” I started, my gun aimed at the blue haired Traci, when she span on her heel and roundhouse kicked my gun out of my hands, sending it flying across the room. Hank yelped as he was then shoved backwards into a wall, and I rushed forward to help him, dragging the android off of him. She turned back and threw me to the floor, knocking the wind out of me. I gasped, lifting my head as she wrestled with Hank and threw him to the floor, then darted outside. 

I pulled myself up, wobbly, and looked to make sure Hank was okay before following the androids outside and into the rain. Connor was on the floor, and the two Tracis held hands before starting to get away. It was then I hesitated. Hank didn’t, however. He jumped forward but the two of them overwhelmed him, shoving him into the wall, his gun falling into the snow. 

“Quick, they’re getting away!” Hank cried out, and Connor was already up, chasing them. They scaled the fence with ease, only to be stopped by Connor.

_ We should probably talk … - G  _

“Fuck off, Gavin.” I muttered, closing the message just as Connor pulled the blue haired Traci to the ground. The other android turned and jumped on him, but he shoved her back. She clearly cared about the other Traci, and I knew then that I didn’t want to take them in. The brown haired Traci grabbed a metal pipe and swung at him, but he ran at her, shoving her into the wall. The blue haired Traci rushed forward, and so did I. 

“Connor stop!” I shouted, but he didn’t listen. Instead, as he was thrown to the floor, he picked up Hank’s gun and pointed it at the brown haired Traci. But he didn’t shoot. Instead, he let her kick the gun out of his hands, and he paused as they stood between him and the fence. Connor’s LED flickered yellow, as did the other two androids. He stood slowly, and I breathed a sigh of relief. 

“When that man broke the other Traci, I knew I was next.” She began explaining, her voice shaking. “I was so scared. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t …” Her face darkened, “... and so I put my hands around his throat and I squeezed until he stopped moving. I didn’t mean to kill him … I just wanted to stay alive.” The brown haired Traci stepped closer to the other and slipped her hand into her lover’s. “Get back to the one I love. I wanted her to hold me in her arms again, make me forget about the humans. Their smell of sweat and their dirty words.” 

I felt awful. They’d lived unimaginably horrific lives, and now at their first chance of freedom, they were being hounded like animals only to be destroyed. The looks on their faces … I couldn’t deny them their right to freedom. I just hoped my colleagues felt the same. 

“Come on. Let’s go.” They said, turning and running to the fence and climbing over it. I looked to Hank, who remained stoic, and then to Connor, who was also looking at Hank, his LED flashing yellow. 

“It’s probably better this way.” Hank eyed Connor the same way I was. Connor looked confused, but didn’t speak. I felt a weight drop off my shoulders as Hank turned and walked away. He didn’t want to take the pair in either. Perhaps he was starting to believe that the deviants were sentient too. I hoped so. I still wasn’t sure why Connor hadn’t shot, however. I suppose, we needed it alive to question it and run diagnostics, but something told me it was something else. 

“Why do you care?” Connor asked me, turning to face me. “About the deviants. They’re machines with corrupted software, and yet you treat them like you would another person. Why?” Confusion knitted his eyebrows into a frown as he struggled to come up with a reason for my behaviour. 

“I … you’re probably not going to like my answer, Connor.” I started, but he waited patiently for me to continue. “I’ve always been told I’m quite an empathetic person. I see someone in pain and I can’t stop myself from caring.” 

“But they are not people, they were just created to look like people.” Connor seemed so sure of himself, but there was doubt in his voice. If he hadn’t doubted what he said, then he would have shot the Traci - we didn’t need both of them. 

“I don’t agree anymore, Connor. That’s why you won’t like my answer. I think deviancy … I think it’s just androids coming to the realisation that they are a people who deserve better.” Connor still frowned, obviously not happy with my answer, like I knew he wouldn’t be. “Let’s think of it this way. You say that in deviants, it’s just a piece of code that makes them think that they are feeling emotions, correct?” 

“More or less, yes.” He agreed, not correcting me if I was wrong. 

“And humans, our emotions are just chemicals in our brain that makes us think we are feeling emotions.” I began walking back inside, not wanting to stand in the cold and rain any longer. “So what’s the difference?” I asked rhetorically, but I knew Connor would try to answer anyway. 

“The difference is, we are machines built for a purpose by humans. We have instructions tha-” 

“And according to many religions, we humans were made for a purpose by some  God, and we were given instructions on how to live. Not everyone agrees, but a lot of people believe it and dedicate their entire lives to following those instructions and carrying out what they believe is their purpose. The difference is, we have a choice, and androids don’t.” Even I was surprised with the bullshit I had just come up with, even if there was a hint of truth to it. I shivered, climbing up the concrete wall and into the warehouse. Perhaps the cold had gone to my head. 

“In any case, I know real emotion when I see it. And these deviants keep showing it, and I know it’s real.” Connor didn’t seem convinced. “I did say you wouldn’t like my answer. But come to think of it … if you think that they are just malfunctioning machines, then why didn’t you shoot them? You had the gun, the perfect opportunity.” Connor stayed quiet for a long while. 

_ I’m just about to leave for the station. I’m sure Captain Fowler would love to know about your … situation - G _

“I … hesitated. You said not to, and-” 

“Fucking … Connor, I’m sorry, I have to go.” I said quickly, speed walking to the staff door back to the main club, tears in my eyes. If Captain Fowler found out, I had no idea what he would do. I’d probably have to go in for another review and then have to work my way back to where I was now just to prove that I was in a fit shape for work. But what if I wasn’t?  _ Oh fuck, oh fuck.  _

“What’s wrong, Detective?” Connor asked, following me down the corridor. 

“I … Gavin saw. He saw my hand, and now he’s going to tell everyone and-” I couldn’t breathe. As hard as I tried to, the more I tried to, the more light headed I felt. Hyperventilating. That was the word. That’s what was happening. God, why did it feel like  _ not _ breathing. “I can’t breathe.” 

Connor put his hands on my arms and bent down so that our eyes were level. “I’ll help you, just breathe with me.” His beautiful big brown eyes, staring into mine. “In … and out.” His voice was soft and slow, his grip firm. 

Tears leaked out of my eyes as I tried to copy him, staring at his lips to help sync my breathing to his words, ignoring the nausea and pain in my chest. 

“In … and out. You’re going to be fine.” He repeated this until my breathing began to slow and I finally began to lose the sense of impending doom, but only slightly.  _ If Gavin tells- no stop. Focus. Breathe. Fuck. Breathe.  _ “Stop thinking and focus on me.”

Once I had caught my breath back, the tears were let loose in floods. I couldn’t let Gavin ruin me again. I wouldn’t. Connor’s grip on my arms loosened as he straightened, but I didn’t want him to let me go. I pushed forward and wrapped my arms around him, holding him close to me. Connor slowly put his arms around me, too. He felt safe. I didn’t want to move, but I had to -  _ Gavin. _ My chest tightened again.

“I … thank you, Connor.” My voice sounded strange, but I had to stop crying and see Gavin. I had to sort this out. I replied.

_ Fine. Meet me in the blue room. _

“It’s fine. He won’t do what he did last time.” Connor reassured me. I swallowed, pulling out of the hug. How did he know? 

“What? What do you mean? How did you-” 

“When I gave you the upgrade to your hand, I saw it. You’d been here before ... with Gav-” 

“Okay stop, I don’t want to talk about this. I have to go speak to Gavin and get this sorted out.” I turned away and shakily walked to the end of the corridor, leaving Connor on his own. I turned back to make sure he wasn’t following and then headed to the blue room, where Gavin was already waiting. 

“You took your time. I thought for a moment you were stalling.” Gavin was leaning against one of the tubes. Inside was an android, the exact same shape and model from when we … “Come on, don’t you think this is kind of fucking ironic?” He asked, smirking. I was way too tired for this. 

“What do you want, Gavin? Clearly you want something, or you wouldn’t be talking to me.” I just wanted this to be over. I didn’t want to be near him for a moment longer than I had to. 

“Perhaps I just wanted to see you, talk to you. Maybe, try again.” He took a step closer but stopped when I took a step back. 

“You have got to be _ fucking _ kidding me. You had your chance. You could have come and visited me in the hospital or apologised at any point before to show you cared but you didn’t, so I’m having a hard time believing that you  _ actually _ care, Gavin.” He couldn’t be doing this. Not now. He’d always been a hard ass but I hadn’t realised how cold he could be until that night. “You let all your little insecurities get in the way and I blamed myself for that. I thought it was my fault. But it was you, the entire time, it was you.” 

“I did the best I could! I tried everything! But nothing made you happy, nothing would satisfy you, how was that my fucking fault?” Gavin hit back. That hurt. But he wasn’t getting angry, or not overly angry like I thought he would. 

“It wasn’t your fault, but you sure as hell made me feel like it was mine. You couldn’t let it go, and then when we finally tried something that worked, you threw it back in my face and told everyone, and you told them that it was me. I couldn’t look people in the eye for weeks and then …”  _ And then I was shot.  _ Tears sprung to my eyes, and Gavin shook his head and stepped closer. I let him. “You made me uncomfortable in the one place I felt at home.  _ You  _ did that, Gavin. 

“You blamed me for something that  _ you  _ were insecure about and then you left me alone and drunk and I had to find my own way home in the middle of the night. And then the next morning I hear that you’ve been telling people that we broke up and that I was awful in bed, and you want to go back after all that you did?” I ranted, and he let me, his face softened as I finished. 

“I’m … I’m sorry, Molly.” He was quiet now, his shoulders slouching and his eyes wide with remorse. 

“You did all that and then you refused to talk to me, you never came to the hospital-” 

“They wouldn’t let me in, Molly.” ... _ What? _ “I tried to see you, but Hank told them not to let me in. I wanted to see you. I wanted to say sorry.” I scowled at him skeptically, but he wasn’t showing any signs of lying. 

“Then why send me those messages? I thought you hated me, I thought you were going to tell-” 

“I knew it was the only way to get your attention. I know you’re mad, and you’d ignore me if I asked to talk so … this was my only other solution. I saw you in there and … I just missed you.” His voice was so soft, so soothing. Like it was back when we were together, before he turned into an asshole. Like Connor’s was… But Connor was an android. And Gavin was human. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

“Shitty way of doing it.” I sniffled, giving a small smile. Perhaps there were feelings still there, underneath all that resentment and aggression. Perhaps he did care. Maybe I’d gotten it all wrong. My head hurt.

“I know. But I do care for you, Molly. I never stopped caring for you.” He held out his arms in a hug, but as I rushed forwards, I realised I didn’t want to hug him. I’d been alone for five months, and all I wanted right now was to be back in his arms. I pressed my lips against his, leaning into his body as he wrapped his arms around me. 

“I’ve missed you.” I whispered, pulling away for a moment and burying my head in his chest. He stayed quiet for a moment, his hand stroking up and down my back. 

“I’ve missed you too, Molls.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehehehehe 
> 
> next update coming soon >:)
> 
>  
> 
> (also yeah, I'm British, so leapt is spelt like that [spelt is correct too])


	7. Frustrations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every action has consequences, as Molly soon finds out ...

I woke up in a familiar place to the buzz of my phone on the bedside table. I sighed, opening one eye.  _ Oh God, what had I done?  _ I looked around Gavin’s bedroom and huffed, pulling the duvet over my face.  _ Christ on a bike. Why. Why had I done this. This was clearly a bad idea. I was supposed to  _ hate _ him.  _ I closed my eye and checked the time - 11:46am. I’d slept well, considering. No nightmares for once, only dreams of wandering round a beautiful, if overgrown, garden. 

I sat up and pushed the duvet off me, slipping out of bed. I was naked. That was a  _ good _ sign.  _ Fan-fucking-tastic.  _ I pulled on some clothes and poked my head round the door, looking around to see if Gavin was there. Hearing nothing, I tiptoed towards the front door, where a post-it note was stuck. 

_ Didn’t want to wake you, gone out to the gun range. _

_ I’m working today, so I’ll see you there? - G _

_ Oh fuck. Oh sweet fuckballs. This was bad.  _ I left without a second glance, heading straight home. I didn’t have the heart to get a taxi - I needed to walk, to breathe the cold Detroit air and sort my thoughts out. Our relationship had been a rollercoaster from start to finish, and we both knew it wasn’t likely to end well. But I still cared about him. He was a dick and I still cared. I knew what Hank would say, how he’d disapprove, how I got myself into this mess. 

The main question was: Did I want to be with Gavin? The guy who worked his ass of and dedicated his entire being to his work. The guy who would cuddle me when we watched films and have pillow fights with me and would make me coffee every morning. The guy who held me when I was sad and knew how to wind me up enough to want to pounce on him … 

But after everything he put me through; ditching me at the Eden Club because I’d had a better time there than I’d ever had with him; leaving me drunk and alone, crying and afraid; the way he had told everyone that we’d broken up because I was shit in bed, when really, it had been him; then given me the cold shoulder until I got shot … Was that really the person I wanted to be with? 

My head hurt. But last night … He had been his old self again, for the first time in a long time. He’d been the Gavin I had fallen for all those months ago; the Gavin I’d learn to respect and love.  _ Fuck fuck fuck.  _ Thinking about it just made my head swirl.  _ No.  _ He’d treated me awfully when I needed him most. Fuck Gavin. I’d been lonely and made a mistake. That was all. 

I walked up to my front door and barely had time to get my keys out when the door opened and I was suddenly enveloped in arms. I almost fought back, but then I remembered who I was up against. 

“Mom, I’m fine. I just spent the night at a friend’s house. I did message you saying so.” I was paralyzed by her firm grip on me and decided to wait it out. 

“You should have come home! You’re still not well!” She pulled away to reveal deep bags under her eyes, as though she hadn’t slept all night - and she probably hadn’t, knowing her. Her hair was manic like she had been tossing and turning, and her eyes were red, her skin blotchy. “If anything had happened to you…” I rolled my eyes. 

“Nothing happened, you know that, I was messaging you all day. I was perfectly safe.” I told her with a sigh, just wanting to get inside and shower. I couldn’t blame her for being worried - she’d been a worrier before, but since the accident she’d become frantic whenever I left the house without her.

“Anything could have happened!” She argued, but I wasn’t going to fight back - I didn’t have the energy. 

“But it didn’t. I’m fine, see? I’m fine.” With that, she pulled me in for another hug and brought me inside. 

“I’ll make you a coffee, you must be exhausted after working all day yesterday!” She bee-lined for the coffee-maker, ignoring my protests. 

“Mom, I just need a shower. You go have a sleep, you look like you haven’t slept all night.” I suggested but she shook her head, pouring the coffee into two mugs. 

“No, I didn’t get to see you all of yesterday, I don’t want to miss you while you’re here.” She sipped at her coffee and attempted to hand me mine, her hand shaking slightly. 

“Mom, please. I’m going in-” I stopped as I felt something brush against my leg. A small chirp sounded from below and I looked down to see a small grey tabby cat rubbing itself against my leg. “Willow, baby!” I cooed at her, and she purred happily. I picked her up and held her to my chest, stroking her softly. She rubbed her head against my face and I grinned, giving her kisses on her nose. 

“She’s been worried about you, too,  _ haven’t you Willow? Yes you have. Yes!”  _ Mom stroked her gently under the chin before I set her down on the floor. 

“I’m going in the shower.” I turned away towards the bathroom but didn’t get far. 

“What’s that on your neck?” I froze. What on my neck? “Is … Is that a hickey?” Oh shit, I was in for it now. I didn’t turn around, and I didn’t speak. “Who’s house were you at last night?” She asked curtly. I closed my eyes and sighed, not able to come up with any lies. “Were you at Gavin’s?” I didn’t reply, I just stayed still and hoped she’d just leave it. “Honey, I’m not mad. Were you at Gavin’s?” My heart was hammering. 

“Maybe…” My throat felt tight. 

“Maybe isn’t an answer.” Her voice was growing harder. 

“... Yes. I was at Gavin’s.” I admitted, and she scoffed. 

“So you’d rather spend time with your ex than your own mother?” She was waiting on a reply that would never come. If she wore herself out, she’d fall asleep while I was in the shower and then I could go. “Are you back together?” 

“No, mom, it’s complicated.” I blurted … she wasn’t going to like that. 

“So you’d rather be screwing him than spending the evening with your mother? Is that it?” I had to get out of there. 

“Mom, I’m going in the shower.” There was a long silence, and I didn’t move until she spoke, my whole body tense. 

“Fine. It’s nice to know you care about me so much. Your own mother. The woman who gave birth to you, who raised you, who looked after you when you were sick and stayed with you in the hospital-”

“I’m going in the shower.” My voice trembled slightly.  _ Don’t show weakness.  _ I started moving again and she didn’t stop me. I shut the door to the bathroom and locked it behind me, trying desperately not to cry.  _ I should have just gone home, last night. Fuck.  _ A smash came from the other side of the door and the faint sound of Willow hissing and the telltale sounds of her claws scratching the floor as she bolted out the back door. I’d have to clean that up later. I stripped and showered, turning my eye off to help prevent the oncoming headache.  _ Fuck my life.  _

 

\---

 

I left the house with wet hair, not caring about how the cold weather was. I’d had a long shower, giving myself time to calm down and think - and giving my mom enough time to get tired enough to pass out. I left the bathroom to find her asleep on the couch, a mug of coffee stone cold beside her. The other mug was on the floor in pieces, the contents spilt and left a dry stain. I sighed, grabbed a dustpan and brush and cleaned it up as quietly as I could, before getting dressed, grabbing a scarf and leaving. 

Willow followed me to the end of the drive and sat next to me while I waited at the bus stop for the next bus, hoping it would be here soon. She meowed, demanding attention, so I stroked her while I waited, glad to have some company. 

“Why do I make life difficult for myself, Wills …” I scratched the side of her jaw; something she thoroughly enjoyed. “I just need to think more before I act.” I stated, and Willow mewed in what I took as agreement. “You’re the best thing in my life, Willow.” The cat purred happily, rubbing her face against mine, when the bus rounded the corner. 

Willow’s head snapped round, staring at the bus, her back arching as it got nearer. It stopped and let out a hiss, and she was gone. I smiled and shook my head before boarding the bus to the station. 

The journey was short and not very warm, but it was a welcomed point of relaxation before I got into work, to do paperwork - very dull and very safe, so mom couldn’t get angry about it, though I was sure she’d have words about me leaving the house without saying goodbye. I’d have to deal with that later, though, but for now, I just had to focus on work. 

I entered the office, ignoring everyone and heading straight for my desk. I didn’t even look at Hank, who was busy typing away on his desktop. I switched mine on and immediately got to work, going through each detail of yesterday, only getting down the important information. Once that was done, I started reading more about deviants, hoping to gain some new information, when a shadow fell over me. I looked up to see Hank placing a cup of coffee on my desk. 

“You alright, kid? Been quiet all day.” He asked softly. I nodded, shifting my scarf so it covered my neck better. The ugly bruise on my neck was a lot bigger than I’d expected, and wasn’t able to be covered with makeup, so the scarf was obligatory. 

“Yeah, you know what my mom’s like. She was … excessive this morning.” I shook my head and waited for him to leave so I could continue with my work, but he didn’t move. 

“You sure it has nothing to do with last night?” He pushed, and I could feel myself getting irritated.  _ Don’t push me, Hank. I just want to be left alone.  _

“Why would it?” I pretended to be oblivious, but Hank wasn’t having it. 

“Connor told me you talked to Gavin.”  _ Fucking Connor.  _ Hank waited for a moment, but I didn’t answer. “Look, I don’t know what happened last night, but clearly something did or you wouldn’t be ignoring me.” I squinted, but stayed quiet. Had he figured it out? “But if you want to drink about it, I’ll be at Jimmy’s later.” Hank walked away, picking up his gear to leave and I relaxed. 

Hank had a perfectly good reason to be mad at me for hooking up with Gavin - he’d almost smashed Gavin in the face when he had found out what had happened, even though he had warned me about Gavin before. 

About ten minutes later, Connor came over. “You shouldn’t have come in with your hair wet. You could get sick.” He said after a moment, leaning on my desk. Out of all the things I was expecting him to say, that was low on the list, and I wasn’t sure how to respond. 

“Well, I, uh, didn’t have time. I needed to get out of the house.” I said, glancing up at him. He frowned, but decided against asking. Instead, he leaned a little closer and spoke in a low voice. 

“I need to talk to you. I think you’ll want to talk privately.” Connor leaned back and watched as I stood, sighing. 

“Fine.” I shut off my desktop and messaged Hank, letting him know I’d be at Jimmy’s soon. I walked to the elevator, readying myself to talk when I saw Gavin in the kitchen, and we locked eyes. “Shit.” Gavin’s attention moved to Connor, who was walking slightly behind me. 

“What’s the plastic prick doing with you?” Gavin asked, strutting over. He was tensing, subtly trying to make himself appear bigger, and failing - he was a good couple of inches shorter than Connor. 

“I’m taking him to Hank, Gavin, relax.” I said. I couldn’t deal with another confrontation tonight. 

“Why do you have to go with him? Dipshit can’t figure it out for himself?” Gavin sneered. 

“Piss off, Gavin.” I muttered, pressing the button to call the elevator. 

“What’s wrong with you? Surely you’re not protecting this fucker? It’s an android, it doesn’t care.” Gavin spat, glaring at Connor. 

“Gavin stop, Jesus, what’s wrong with  _ you. _ Why are you doing this again?” It was like he’d gone back to the way he was in July, just before the accident. He was asshole Gavin again. 

“Molls, he isn’t human. He doesn’t care.” Gavin turned to me, reaching his arms to put them on my waist, just as the elevator finally got here. I pulled away and held the door open indicating to Connor to head inside, making sure to keep between him and Gavin. Gavin’s face had turned from a smile to a cold stare. “Or are you just doing that because you’re slowly becoming one of them?” He tapped my leg with his foot and grinned when my face paled. I clenched my fist, but turned and walked into the elevator. 

“You’re such an asshole, Gavin.” I growled, pressing the button for the ground floor. 

“That’s not what you were saying last night…” Gavin smirked. I stepped forward just as the doors began to close, obscenities flooding out my mouth until the doors blocked me from getting to him. I was shaking with rage, my hands balled into fists, my eyes wet with tears.  _ Fuck you, Gavin. Fuck you fuck you fuck you.  _ I’d almost forgotten Connor was behind me, and I would have completely if he hadn’t piped up. 

“Detective. Are you alright?” He asked. My head hurt. I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down before I replied.

“What did you want, Connor?” I said with a sigh, loosening my hands and taking deep breaths. 

“I … The upgrade I gave you was only supposed to be for last night. I need to remove it now. I wasn’t really supposed to offer it but-” 

“Yeah, sure.” I deskinned my hand and turned around, letting loose the tears that refused to disappear. I gave him my hand and let him take away the upgrade, when I saw Hank sitting on a bench in the snow, drinking. 

 

_ Hank pulled a gun on Connor and I felt Connor’s fear. It was only a flicker, lasting less than a second but it was there. Connor had been afraid.  _

_ “I doubt there’s a heaven for androids.” Connor said softly.  _

_ “Having existential doubts, Connor?” Hank asked, the gun shaking in his hands. “Sure you’re not going deviant too?”  _

_ “I self test regularly. I know what I am and what I am not.” It wasn’t an answer, and I felt the doubt creep up on Connor, something that triggered that flicker of fear again before it was squashed down again. Hank lowered the gun.  _

 

“Jesus Christ, Connor, what was that? Why does that keep happening?” I asked, pulling my hand away and reskinning it. 

“I’m … I’m not sure.” Connor said quietly, looking up just as the elevator doors opened, his eyes squinting like he was trying to make sense of what he saw. “What did you see?” He asked, as I stepped through the doors and into the reception. 

“Hank last night … he held a gun at you.” I kept walking until we were out of the building before I turned to speak to him.  _ What had he seen? This time and the last time … what had he seen about me and Gavin?  _ “What did you see?” 

“You were walking … I think there was a problem with your vision and balance because everything was blurry and you kept swaying and then you were at Hank’s, crying on his shoulder.” 

Oh. It was that night. After I’d walked from the Eden Club alone, Hank’s house was on the way to mine. I was crying on his doorstep, drunk and alone when he came outside and let me sleep at his, letting me cry on his shoulder. He lent me some clothes, let me talk about it, and once I’d fallen asleep, he took me into his room and he slept on the couch. Hank had always been a good friend, but that was one of the days that I’d always be grateful for. 

“What about … What about last time. What did you see?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but I was certain it was better than not knowing. Connor stayed silent, and when I turned around he had stopped. His mouth opened, but no words were coming out. 

“I …” He closed his mouth and thought for a moment, his LED turning yellow as he remembered what he had seen. “You were at the Eden Club. With Gavin.” My cheeks flushed, my neck and ears set ablaze. The fact that he’d seen that … “You were with an android and then … Gavin started yelling. You got scared, and he started pushing the android, shoving it. He shoved her into the wall and she didn’t get back up. Then you were arguing …” 

“Okay. Okay, that … that’s enough.” I remembered it all in such vivid detail. We argued and he pushed me onto the bed. I kicked him away, and he got even more angry because I’d split his lip, and then he left. He took my clothes, and left me in my underwear. 

A self-driving taxi turned round the corner and I hailed it, not looking at Connor. He’d seen me at some of my most vulnerable states, and it made me feel awkward. I needed a drink. The taxi slowed down and we got in, telling it to take us to Jimmy’s. 

“Don’t go back to Gavin.” Connor said softly after a while, staring out the window. The statement surprised me - why would he care what I did? I nodded, nevertheless. 

“I don’t mean to.”


	8. Messy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly's trip to the bar gets messy ...

Hank was already drinking by the time we got to Jimmy’s. When we came in, he held up his drink in greeting and downed it, asking Jimmy for another. “And some vodka for the kid.” His speech was starting to slur a little. The man didn’t mess about. 

“I need to get on your level.” I sat down on the stool beside him as Jimmy slid two shots my way. I had one after the other, slamming the empty shot glasses down once I was done and pulling a face as the liquid burned the back of my throat. “Ooh, that’s stronger than last time.” Hank laughed. 

“That’s because last time you didn’t do shots.” Hank said, sipping at his whisky, eyeing me up. I grinned as I felt it beginning to course its way through my veins, making my fingers tingle slightly. Why was it hitting me so hard? Oh. I hadn’t eaten properly today. Shit.

_ Hope you’re not mad. Last night was fun, we should do it again - G _

Fucking asshole. I closed my eyes and turned off my phone notifications. Fuck you, Gavin. I needed another drink. 

“Another two, please Jimmy.” I quickly finished those too. Connor stayed quiet, sitting beside us, watching with intrigue. I noticed Hank and Connor exchange glances, but I didn’t care enough to think any more on it.

“Might want to slow down there.” Hank put his drink down and turned towards me as I ordered another two. 

“Why? Do you think I can’t handle my drink?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Perhaps drinking at the rate I was going wasn’t a good move, but I didn’t care. I just didn’t want to think about Gavin or mom or the deviants from yesterday or the accident … I couldn’t deal with it. I needed to be in the moment again.

“I think you haven’t had a proper drink in over three months and it’s going to hit you hard if you’re not careful.” Hank said, and he was probably right. But again, I didn’t care. I just wanted to get out of my own head for a bit. 

“I hope you’re right. I hope it hits me like a-” I stopped myself.  _ Like a truck, _ I was going to say. I swallowed. “I hope it hits me.” I finished, with a little less enthusiasm. 

Jimmy passed the shots over and I downed them without a second thought. Hank just watched as I started to sway in my seat. I hadn’t accounted for my lack of limbs in how quickly I’d get drunk. Oops. This was going to be fun. 

I ordered one last set of shots and downed them and stood, walked over to the music player and switched it to a song that I could dance to. 

“Molly.” I heard Hank call, but I ignored him. I wanted to dance. Dancing was fun. Dancing made you feel good and that’s how I wanted to feel. Good.

“I’m here to have a good time, Hank, and that’s what I’m going to do.” I said, searching through the song lists. Upon finding Rihanna, I played Don’t stop the music, which I began to dance to, very badly, but that was what made it fun. I swayed and shook my head, stepping side to side and mumbling the words.  

“Hank, come dance with me.” I called, but he just waved me off with a grunt. We’d never had the same music taste, but he’d danced with me before when he was drunk enough. Perhaps I’d passed him in intoxication. Yay. I shrugged and turned to Connor. “Connor, come dance with me!” I span around and waved my arms side to side. Connor looked over to me, then to Hank and when he received no reaction, stood and walked over. 

“Yes Con! Fuck it up!” I giggled then began singing along before taking Connor’s hands in mine and swaying them side to side. “Jealousy is gunfire, it makes you kill the vibe!” I shouted, laughing as Connor didn’t seem to know what to do with himself. 

“Dete-” 

“Call me Molly, Connor, we’re not working right now.” I said, spinning again with a cackle. “Your hands around my waist, just let the music play.” I took Connor’s hands in mine and placed them on my hips, swaying to the music. “We’re hand in hand, chest to chest and now we’re face to face.” I stared into his eyes, and for a long moment I felt the urge to kiss him. I shook my head and grinned, then span away.  _ Not quite drunk enough for that.  _ Connor stared in bewilderment, his LED flickering yellow momentarily. 

I danced, dragging Connor into it every now and then, when the song changed to Toploader’s Dancing in the Moonlight. “Holy shit, yes!” I cried, feeling the happy buzz in my heart and soul. Everything felt good, and nothing could bring me down. It was after that song that the world began to spin a little, and I grabbed onto Connor for support. 

“Dete- Molly? I think you should sit down.” He said, guiding me back to the bar. I kept dancing as I walked, September by Earth, Wind & Fire playing. I tried to push Connor away to continue dancing but his arms were strong, firmly stopping me from going anywhere but the bar. I sat down and swayed happily to the beat, Connor sitting next to me again. 

“Haaaank.” I hiccupped, smiling with my eyes half closed. Hank raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to speak. “I … I forgot what I was gonna say.” I laughed shaking my head. Hank rolled his eyes and looked at the TV screen, watching whatever game was playing currently. “Hank there’s something I have to tell youuuu…” I patted him on the shoulder, and he sighed and turned back to me. 

“What?” Even in my drunken state, I could tell he was trying his hardest to be patient with me, something I deeply appreciated. I needed someone to confide in, and he always allowed me that - but the easiest and possibly only way I allowed myself to talk about things was with alcohol, something he’d figured out early in our friendship. Otherwise, the truth would never come out. 

“Party on! Dancing in september!” I sang, moving my hands up and down to the beat. Oh, I had something to say. Uh … “I just want to say thank you, because, like, you’ve always been there for me and had my back and shit, and like, you didn’t fucking have to and you’ve always helped me when I’m sad and shit and … man I just wanna say thank you, you’re a cool dude. I love you, man.” I held my arms out for a hug and leaned forwards towards him, almost falling off my chair when I sat back. 

“That it?” He asked, looking me in the eye, trying to suss it out of me. He knew me well enough to know that that wasn’t the main thing I wanted to say, but he wasn’t going to push. He knew I’d say something when I was ready. I wasn’t ready. I turned to the bar, sliding back onto my chair. 

“Jimmy, can I ha-” 

“No Jim, she’s fine.” Hank interrupted, pushing my hand down that was reaching out for another drink. “If you have too much more you’re gonna be sick, and then we’ll have to leave.” Hank explained, and I nodded. I needed to tell him. But  _ fuck  _ I didn’t want to.

“Fine … I just … I don’t know if I can.” I started, my eyesight going blurry in one eye. It was making me feel ill, so I turned off the other eye. The blurriness was helping - if I couldn’t see Hank’s reaction, it’d be better. I blinked and released the tears that had been building up. “Hank, you remember the accident?”

“Yeah, I vaguely recall something of the sort.” Hank muttered sarcastically. I took a deep breath.  _ Here goes nothing.  _

“Well … Jesus, okay, so my legs were crushed. Beyond repair. These aren’t real. Same with my left arm.” I tapped the arm gently and wiggled my legs. “They’re not real.” I said with a laugh. “They don’t even tingle like they’re supposed to when you drink.” I laughed even more, tears leaking from my eyes because I was laughing so hard. “I can just remove them whenever and bam! I’m practically limbless!” It was out now, he knew, and there was no going back. I laughed it off, but the tears were still streaming down my face when I noticed Hank’s face. 

“Hey, no, don’t be sad Hank, nooo.” I mumbled, feeling bile beginning to rise up in my stomach. “I’m fine.” I smiled, but it felt false - it was false. I was crying, plain as day. The sadness was seeping back into me and it was coming back with a vengeance. “I’m fine.” I said again, but this time I couldn’t smile. Somehow, I was both laughing and crying. “I’m fine.” I sobbed, lowering my face into my hands. 

I felt a hand make its way onto my back and wrap itself around me, making soothing motions as I cried. “I know, I know.” Hank whispered softly, then said something to Connor that I couldn’t hear. 

“Then I fucking … I fucking slept with Gavin and I don’t know why and I came home and my mom was just fucking … I don’t know, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin your night, Hank.” I sniffed, the bile rising higher in my throat. Oh dear. “I … I’m going to the ladies.” I stood, swayed and tried to run, unsuccessfully to the bathroom. I fell sideways but someone caught me from behind and helped me stand. 

I looked up to see Connor, his LED yellow. He helped steer me to the ladies, and left me inside, allowing me to be sick in peace. _How much had I had to drink?_ I’d forgotten. _Oh I was a mess. Oh god, not again._ I shut my eyes as tight as I could, embarrassed that I’d caused a scene. The sick feeling returned, and I emptied my stomach into the toilet again. Eventually I came out to find Connor waiting with a glass of water. 

“Thank you, Connor.” I said, taking the drink off him and sipping it to get the foul taste out of my mouth. “I’m sorry, I’m such a mess.” I sighed, leaning back against the door, when it swung open. I would have fallen backwards if it weren’t for Connor, catching me again. “You’re like Superman, always catching me when I fall.” I said softly, my eyelids feeling heavy.  _Shit, did I say that out loud?_

“We should probably get you home.” Connor pulled me up so most of my weight was on him as we walked to the exit. 

“You’re kind of beautiful, you know that, Connor?” I thought aloud, looking up at him as we walked.  _ I need to shut the fuck up. _ When I noticed we were passing the bar, I called out to “Bye, Jimmy. Sorry for being a mess of a person.” I waved goodbye at him, and he just smiled and shook his head. It was then I noticed the bar was basically empty, except for Hank waiting by the door. 

“It’s fine, Molly. See you soon.” Jimmy turned back to wiping the glasses he’d just washed. 

I nodded and realised I was now being helped by Hank as well, who had wrapped my free arm over his shoulder. “Thank you, Hank.” I whispered, my eyes closed as the pair bundled me into the taxi, Connor climbing in beside me. I didn’t know where Hank was for a few seconds, but then I felt him sit on the other side of me. I must have passed out, because the next thing I knew, I was on Hank’s sofa, a blanket being tucked around me.

“Thanks, Hank.” I mumbled, but I got no reply. As he walked away, I opened my eyes to see it had actually been Connor, who was now walking away.  _ Thanks, Connor. _ My eyes drooped closed again and I slept, returning to explore the garden in my dreams. 

 

\---

 

My head was pounding when someone shook me awake. I groaned and rolled over but stopped halfway when my head started spinning. Jeez, I was in bad shape. I opened my eyes groggily to find Hank leaning over me, a large grin on his face. 

“How’re you feeling?” He asked. I just groaned in response and closed my eyes again. “Come on, up you get. We have a new case.” Hank chuckled as I pulled a pillow over my face. He pulled the pillow away from me and I opened my eyes to see him holding a glass of water in my face. “Come on, up.” 

I groaned and pulled myself upright, nausea kicking in. I took the glass out of his hand and sipped it gingerly, not realising how dry my mouth was until the water quenched it. “Mmm, Hank, do you have any-” I didn’t need to finish my sentence, as Hank already held out his hand which had painkillers in it. “You are a lifesaver, Hank.” 

“I know.” He walked to the kitchen as I put the empty glass on the coffee table, sighing. I didn’t feel like moving, let alone working, but I wasn’t about to stay home either. No, definitely not going home. I closed my eyes and checked my texts - seven from Mom Mobile. 9 missed calls. I read the texts, hoping they weren’t too bad. 

_ Molly I’m sorry I got angry earlier pls call me x _

Not too bad. 

_ I understand if u want to spend some time away from home, but pls call me so I kno u r ok x _

Here comes the guilt trip. 

_ Molly I am seriously starting to worry. I kno u don’t want 2 talk 2 me considering what I put u through, but I need 2 know u r safe. I may not b the best mother but I really do try. Call me x  _

I sighed and skipped ahead to the last message, not wanting to feel worse. 

_ I’ve called Hank and he says u r ok and staying at his. Call me when u can x  _

I didn’t have the energy to call her, but I owed her a text at the very least. I lowered my face into my hands as I thought about what to say. Phone died? Plausible enough. It’d do for now, anyway. 

_ Phone was dead, borrowing Hank’s charger. Talk after work x  _

I wasn’t thoroughly convinced but it would have to do. Hank walked over with a coffee and a plate of toast which he put on the table in front of me. That was … unusual. 

“I thought you didn’t do breakfast?” I said with a raised eyebrow, picking up a slice of toast and eagerly chowing down. 

“I don’t, usually. But Mr Healthy over there insisted.” Hank indicated to the kitchen, where Connor was putting away Hank’s butter. I was surprised Hank  _ had _ butter, let alone that it was in date. I smiled, a warm feeling rising in my chest. Connor probably didn’t do it out of any form of affection - police officers that weren’t extremely hungover probably worked better than those that were - but it still felt good. It felt … kind.

“Thanks, Connor.” I said as he walked over. 

“It wasn’t a problem. It should help with the hangover, and get you feeling more normal so we can head to the Stratford Tower.” Connor replied, walking towards the door and waiting beside it. He slipped his hand into his pocket and began to fiddle with something I couldn’t quite see. 

“What happened at the Stratford Tower?” I frowned, looking between Connor and Hank.  _ And more importantly, what did it have to do with us? _

“A case. I’ve been told its urgent.” Connor said, waiting patiently for us to move.

I closed my eyes and checked the time.  _ 2:43pm. I’d slept late again.  _ “We’d better get moving then.” I stood, taking another slice of toast and eating it. “Are my spare clothes still in-” 

“Yeah, they’re still in the bottom drawer.” I was so grateful to Hank. The amount of times I’d stayed round his house because I couldn’t handle my mom was uncountable at this point. Hank had started buying clothes for me to change into if we had work the next day (which we usually did) so I didn’t have to go home and face her in the mornings. I paid him back for the clothes, and started leaving some at his so he wouldn’t feel the need to buy me any more. For a grumpy old man, he had a heart of gold. 

I changed as quickly as I could, shoving my worn clothes into a plastic bag, only then realising how badly they smelt of alcohol. I washed my face and brushed my teeth, and came back to the living room, where Connor was stood, flicking a coin from hand to hand. It was mesmerising, the speed at which he was able to move the coin, and I would have kept staring if he hadn’t stopped when he noticed my presence. He slipped the coin into his pocket and instinctively tightened his tie, a quirk I found quite endearing.

“Ready when you are, Detective.” He waited for me to walk over and followed me out the door, and for a moment I swear I felt his hand brush the small of my back. I paused, but just as I was about to turn around, Hank revved the engine. 

“Come on, slow pokes. We got work to do.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love guys, I really appreciate it! Every kudos and comment gives me little butterflies (though I see them on my email, I'm not sure how to respond to them... I appreciate them nevertheless). Hope this chapter didn't make you cringe too much!


	9. Investigate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a break-in at the Stratford Tower, more trouble arises for Connor, Molly and Hank

“I’m sorry about your legs.” Hank said in the car. I stared out the window, not sure what to say, so I stayed silent. “You could have told me.” There it was. The shame. I wasn’t sure why I felt it, but it was there nevertheless. 

“I …I didn’t know how. It felt almost like we were back to normal and I didn’t want that to change.” I continued to stare out the window, the idea of facing him just hurt. I’d lied to him. I’d embarrassed myself again and it sucked. The car quietened again, when I remembered the text from my mom. “Thanks for not taking me home. I know she called you.” I turned my head to look at the road in front of us, the Stratford Tower just ahead of us. 

Hank grunted. “Yeah well, that would have just made more mess.” I agreed. My mother wouldn’t be happy if I’d been dropped home in the state I was in. Hank would have had her screaming at him and Connor … I didn’t want to think about what she’d do to Connor. 

“Still, thank you.” I glanced at him, but his eyes remained on the road, a small smile on his face. 

“I’m always here for ya, kid. It doesn’t change anything, okay? You’re still you.” Hank told me, and I stayed quiet, trying to let that sink in.  _ I’m still me. _

We pulled up outside the building and quickly made our way inside, ignoring the reporters who were lined up outside, shouting questions and begging for any kind of information. Once inside, we were told to head up to the 79th floor, and once again there was silence, until- 

PING. I looked to my left, where Connor was absentmindedly flicking a coin, letting it roll on his hands and between his fingers, tossing it from one hand to another with startling accuracy. I stared, mesmerised by the talent once more. 

“You’re starting to piss me off with that coin, Connor.” Hank snatched the coin from Connor’s hand and slipped it into his own pocket. 

“Sorry Lieutenant.” Connor frowned, as though he were roused from a daze. 

“Are you alright, Connor?” I asked, just as the doors began to open, the automated voice letting us know that we were on the 79th floor. Connor nodded, following Hank out the door, still a little lost in his own world. 

“I’m fine, thank you, Detective. All my systems are operational.” He told me, his lip twitching upwards in a tiny smile. I nodded and quickly turned away, taking a deep breath. 

“Hi, Hank. Molly.” Miller acknowledged us for a second before returning his eyes to his tablet. 

“Shit, what’s going on here? There was a party and nobody told me about it?” Hank said sarcastically, taking in all the other people in the room. 

“Yeah, it’s all over the news, so everybody’s butting their nose in. Even the FBI wants a piece of the action…” Chris said with a sigh, staring at the people in silver overalls. 

“Ah, Christ, now we got the Feds on our back … I knew this was gonna be a shitty day.” Hank rolled his eyes. “So, what do we got?” 

“A group of four androids, they knew the building and they were _ very _ well organised. I’m still trying to figure out how they got this far without being noticed.” Chris admitted, but I had a feeling I knew. 

“Nobody suspects androids. Most people ignore them. They can hide in plain sight if they’re smart enough, and clearly they were.” I looked around - Homeland Security were here too? This was huge. 

“Hmm, maybe.” Chris wandered on, the rest of us trailing behind him. “They attacked two guards in the hallway. They probably thought the androids were coming to do maintenance. They got taken down before they could react. One of the station employees managed to get away. He’s in shock, not sure when we’ll be able to talk to him.” I frowned. Androids were very capable, there was no way they would have let him go on accident. They hadn’t killed anyone either, they’d only knocked out the guards. 

“How many people were working here?” Hank asked, 

“Just two employees and three androids. The deviants took the humans hostage and broadcast their message live. They made their getaway from the roof.” Chris explained.  _ The roof? How’d they get down without destroying themselves?  _

“The roof?” I asked in disbelief. 

“Yeah, they jumped with parachutes … we’re still trying to figure out where they landed, but the weather’s not helping.” Chris led us to the broadcasting room. There was a huge screen with the deviant’s skinless face playing on it, and a man in a long coat was stood staring at it, his hands held loosely behind his back. He was probably with the Feds, I assumed. 

“If you want to take a look at the video broadcast by the deviants, it’s on that screen over there.” Chris said, just as he noticed the man. “Oh, Lieutenant, Detective, this is Special Agent Perkins from the FBI.” Fed.  _ I fucking called it.  _ “Lieutenant Anderson is in charge of investigating for Detroit Police, and Detective Brookes is helping out while she recovers from injury in active duty.” Chris informed us all. 

Perkins turned around to face us, his hands still behind his back.  _ He looks like a snob.  _ He looked overly clean, and as I looked to my left, I noticed Connor mimicking his position. Connor seemed to be wearing a similar expression to Hank, who was scowling. “What’s that?” Perkin’s dared to let his eyes land on Connor for a split second before he returned them to us. We let Connor answer for himself. 

“My name is Connor. I’m the android sent by Cyberlife.” He said, not in his usual friendly manner, but more standoffish. I bit back a smile. 

“Androids investigating androids, huh? You sure you want an android hanging around? After everything that happened?” Perkins raised his eyebrows at Hank.  _ Happened. Past tense. Was he referring to …  _ I had no words. If I had, I wouldn’t have been able to hold them back.  _ How  _ dare  _ he?  _ Perkins must have noticed my rage, because he smirked. “Whatever,” he said softly, “the FBI will take over the investigation, you’ll soon be off the case.” His voice remained soft and calm, which only made me want to punch him more. 

“Pleasure meeting you, have a nice day.” Hank turned away, looking me in the eyes as though to try and make sure I wasn’t going to do anything. 

“And you watch your step.” Perkins said, making Hank turn back around again. “Don’t fuck up my crime scene.” I felt my eye twitch just then. I tried to smile politely, not allowing myself to reply in case I said something I’d regret. What my face did was probably more of a grimace, but I’m sure he got the message. 

“What a fuckin prick.” Hank said, half to himself. 

“Stronger words wouldn’t do justice to how much of a shitstain that fucker is.” I growled, clenching most of the muscles in my body. 

“I’ll be nearby. If you need anything, just ask.” Chris walked away, leaving us to our investigation. 

“Let me know if either of you find anything.” Hank said, beginning to look around. I closed my eyes and switched on the scanner, hoping that it’d help me pick up on things I would have otherwise missed. 

“They didn’t break in?” Connor turned to ask Miller, having already checked the CCTV. I couldn’t deny, the boy was fast.  _ Android. He’s an android.  _

“No, no signs of forced entry.” Chris replied, looking up from his tablet. 

“There are cameras in the hallway. The staff would have seen what was happening.” Connor frowned in confusion. “Why did they let them in?” 

“Maybe they didn’t check the cameras,” Hank said with a shrug, not fazed by this new information. Connor turned the chair, on the back of which read “Android”. 

“But an android _ would  _ have checked …” I thought aloud, sharing a glance with Connor. We were thinking the same thing - the deviants must have had someone on the inside. 

“We stored the station androids in the kitchen. There’s no evidence that they were involved, but we didn’t know what else to do with them.” Chris told us. I gave him a nod and smiled, moving on. 

“Connor, play the video. We might be able to get something from it.” I stared up at the screen, squinting, hoping to glean any information I could with my new technology. Connor obliged. 

The video of the skinless android began to play, and immediately I began to pick up on things: The android had two different coloured eyes - not typical of any model I knew of, so perhaps it was a spare part? - deskinned so as not to be recognised on the street, by police or otherwise.

“This message is the hope of a people. You gave us life, and now the time has come for you to give us freedom.” The android stated, his voice soft. Not unreasonable, as requests go. 

“Think that’s rA9?” Hank stood behind me, making me jump. I shuffled sideways to let him stand next to me, and he stared up at the video. 

“Deviants say rA9 will set them free. This android seems to have that objective.” Connor stated, still scanning the android. I decided to copy.

My eye scanned the model; RK200, prototype. I frowned. Connor was also a prototype, and part of the RK series, a model I’d never heard of before now. A sidenote read “Gift from Elijah Kamski to Carl Manfred” and upon closing my eyes and researching the names, I quickly decided where we needed to head next - Carl Manfred had been hospitalised and was unlikely to talk, but Elijah Kamski was a different story. 

“Molly?” Hank’s voice made me open my eyes. He was frowning, and Connor had wandered elsewhere. “You alright there?” 

I nodded. “Fine. I … I think we should try and see Elijah Kamski next. This android was a gift from him to an artist and I think he might be able to give us some answers.” I told him. 

“Why the frown?” Hank asked, noting my soured face. 

I glanced to see where Connor was, and lowered my voice so he couldn’t hear me. “The android is an RK200, and a prototype. Guess who else we know who is an RK series prototype?” I raised my eyebrows, and Hank’s eyes landed on Connor. “Why would the creator of Cyberlife give a prototype to an artist when later versions of that prototype would be used for police investigations? It doesn’t make sense.” 

Hank looked thoughtful for a moment, but then just shrugged, but I could tell he was thinking about it too. “You wanna visit this Kamski, huh?” 

I nodded. “Maybe it’ll shed some light on this whole thing.” A hundred different theories raced through my mind, but I put them to rest, trying to focus more on the task at hand. “Anyway, I think we should head to the roof. If the deviants got help from an insider, they wouldn’t have given it any information that could possibly get them caught - it’d be too reckless. I don’t think the androids in the kitchen will be of any help to us, but if we find nothing up there then we can always come back to them.” I suggested, heading towards the stairs. “Meet you up there?” 

Hank shook his head. “Nah, I’ll join you now. Got all I need from down here.” He followed me up the stairs, me jogging ahead of him. I heard a third set of footsteps and turned to see Connor behind him. I couldn’t help but smile, and almost tripped on the last step before opening the door. 

“They made their way up through the whole building, past all the guards, and jumped off the roof with parachutes. Pretty fuckin impressive, I’d say.” Hank stated. 

I scoffed. “Just slightly.” I took in my surroundings - the large blue blood stain on the ground to my left, the duffel bag left on the ground ahead of me, with three sets of footprints leading away from it and to the edge of the roof. I shook my head. “Real fucking impressive.” 

“How’d they manage to smuggle in a big bag like that?” Hank asked, to which I shrugged.  _ Someone  _ would have noticed an android carrying in a big bag like that. 

“They didn’t. Someone brought it in for them.” Connor answered, just as I saw the contents: one parachute left. I frowned. 

“That’s strange, they planned a perfect operation but got the number of parachutes wrong.” Hank pointed out, but my brain was already theorising. 

“Could be a spare, but I think … I think maybe I was wrong. Maybe the androids downstairs might be worth talking to, if one of them was supposed to go with them.” I suggested, glancing at Connor. 

“Unless one of the deviants was left behind.” Connor caught my eye and then looked at the large pool of thirium. His eyes landed back on me, and I nodded as he began to follow the trail of blue blood. I swallowed and put my hand to my waist, watching him as he walked. Connor stopped outside a large container door, and just as I went to pull out my gun, I heard two gunshots. 

Immediately I dropped to the ground and watched as Hank had reacted faster than me, and had dashed to retrieve Connor. My heart hammered as I tried to block out resurfacing memories and focus on getting out alive. I stood and returned fire, when I saw Connor dash forward, ducking and weaving to avoid getting shot. 

“CONNOR NO!” I stopped firing and began to dash forward without thinking. Connor grabbed the deviant’s arm, his own hand turning white. There was one last gunshot and dread heaved at my stomach, threatening to make me sick. “Connor.” My voice was nothing more than a faint breath in the wind. 

Connor took several steps back and the deviant collapsed to the ground. I reached him just before Hank, staring in concern at Connor’s stillness. He stared blankly at the deviant’s body and continued to use the box behind him for support. 

“Connor! Connor, you alright? Connor?” Hank stood between him and the dead deviant, leaning down so he was eye level with Connor. It was then I noticed his LED was solid red. It didn't take a genius to figure out that that wasn't good.

“Okay…” Connor’s voice was small, and it crushed me. 

“Are you hurt?” Hank had one hand on Connor’s shoulder, and I moved to put my hand on his arm, but not wanting to overcrowd him, I pulled away. Connor refused to look at either of us. 

“I’m okay.” He stated again, and Hank rose, taking a step back. 

“Jesus. Oh, you scared the shit outta me.” Hank turned away, and began pacing. “For fuck’s sake, I told you not to-” 

“Fuck off, Hank!” I took a step forward, placing one hand on Connor’s arm. Hank went to continue his rant, but it wasn't going to help matters. “Enough! He doesn’t need that right now.” I didn’t dare look to see Hank’s reaction, and instead turned back to Connor. “Connor …” My voice softened when I saw his expression still fixed in shock. 

“I was connected to its memory … when it fired, I felt it die.” Connor’s voice shook as he looked between me and Hank, fear in his eyes. “Like I was dying. I was scared.” I gripped his arm in an attempt at comfort, and as he rose, I thought he’d pull away, but he didn’t. “I saw something. In its memory. A word painted on a piece of rusty metal. Jericho.” Connor leaned back again and sighed, closing his eyes. He suddenly flinched, like he was living through it again. 

“Connor, I’m so sorry.” I spoke softly, pulling his arm behind me and wrapping my arms around him. Slowly, his other arm made its way around me and he hugged me back. “You’re going to be okay. Just don’t ever scare us like that again.” I whispered, pulling away when I felt something wet on my neck. I touched it with one hand and saw blue. My eyes quickly landed on Connor’s shoulder, where he’d been shot. Before I could even say anything, Connor spoke. 

“It’s nothing.” He tried to insist, but I wasn’t having it. Even his voice sounded weak and quaky, giving him away easily. He was not fine.

“Bullshit, you’ve been shot, Jesus.” I turned to Hank and took a few steps towards him as I spoke. He’d been quiet the entire time, just watching with a soft expression which I couldn’t register, and didn’t care to currently - Connor was my priority. “Hank, Kamski can wait. I’m going to get Connor patched up.” I explained, not waiting for a reply, but I saw him nod, his face in thought and looking between the two of us. 

I gave an anxious smile and turned back to Connor, whose eyes were still on me, that pained expression never having left his face. I returned to his side and held his forearm. “I’m going to fix you.” I mumbled a promise, half to myself. “Can you walk?” I asked, to which he nodded, straightening. He still looked wobbly, but I let him follow me to the elevators without fussing over him. Once inside, Connor leaned against the wall, his eyes glazing over as he continued to play the moment over in his head again. 

“Connor, try and stay focused on me, okay?” I said, and his eyes landed on me as he tried to stay in the moment. “I’m going to do my best to help you. I promise.” I told him, giving him space by standing on the other side of the elevator. His eyes continued to wander and I could tell he was only half listening. “I know, it’s going to play over and over in your head, again and again, but it’ll get easier.” I may have just been telling him what my therapist had told me, but perhaps it was true. I had yet to get there, but I liked to believe it gets better. 

Connor stayed quiet for a moment, but he looked a little less troubled when he looked up at me. “Where are we going?” His voice had grown stronger, but I wasn’t going to let that fool me into thinking he was fine. 

“The closest place to here that has everything we need to patch you up.” I told him sincerely, one eyebrow raised. “My house.” 


	10. Can't Help Caring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly takes Connor to her home to fix him up ...

I’d explained the plan to him, and since he was an android, I knew he would be able to carry it out perfectly. And yet, my heart continued to hammer in my chest. 

“So, go over it again for me, just so I know for sure you’ve got it.” I looked from the window of the self-driving cab to Connor, who raised an eyebrow. He did so anyway, not asking why I was so tense. 

“I wait outside your window whilst you check if your mom is home, and once you reach your room, you’ll help me inside. If your mom tries to come in, I’ll hide either beside your wardrobe, in the closet, or I’ll climb out the window, depending on which is quicker.” 

I breathed a sigh of relief, but the underlying panic was still there. “Ok, good. Just remember to try and stay alert to her because I’m going to be focused on the bullet wound.” I explained, and Connor nodded. He was calming down, and it seemed focusing on this next task was helping at least a little.

“Why does this scare you to similar degrees as police work?” Connor asked, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. 

I scoffed. “You haven’t met my mother.” I simply stated, shaking my head. “She’s a … difficult woman. I hope you never have to meet her, for your sake. She isn’t a fan of androids, to say the least.” I told him, and he nodded again, but he still frowned. 

“Why do you care then?” The question threw me a little. “If your mother is against androids, why are you helping me? Why do you share different opinions on us?” He couldn’t understand it, and honestly, neither could I. He stared into my eyes, leaning forward as I thought on his question, but his closeness distracted me from my thoughts. “I’m not alive, Molly.” 

I shook my head and looked back out the window. I couldn’t help but feel angry at his response - how could he say that when he’d clearly been traumatised by what just happened? He’d said it himself - he felt scared. He felt the deviant  _ die;  _ his own words and everything. “How can you say that?” I didn’t dare look at him. 

“I’m a machine, Molly. I was designed to serve humans and accomplish my mission.” He stated, and I just kept shaking my head. “It might not be what you want to hear, but it’s true.” 

“You might be a machine, but that’s not all you are. You are more than your programming, I’ve seen it. I know somewhere deep down, you know it too. You’ve felt it. You said it yourself, you felt  _ fear.  _ That’s not something a machine can do.” I turned to stare him in the eyes, but he just looked … lost. He didn’t get it, or he didn’t want to. 

“I’m a machine designed to accomplish a-” 

“Stop it. Are you trying to make me angry? Are you trying to stop me from helping you? What’s your goal with this conversation, Connor?” I spat, glaring at him from the other side of the cab, arms now crossed. 

“I’m not trying to make you angry, Detective, I’m just trying to understand. I appreciate your help but I want to understand why you would go to such lengths to help me when you’re so terrified of your mother finding me.” He explained, which only frustrated me more. I stayed silent, and diverted my eyes back to the window. 

We were only a few streets away now, and the sooner I fixed him up, the sooner I could go to bed and ignore the conversation and the whole past day. Jesus, I needed a drink. I stayed quiet for the rest of the journey, and once the cab came to a stop, I stood and hopped out into the dark without a word. 

“Molly.” Connor’s voice called from behind, and a second later, I felt his hand grab my cyber-arm. This time there was no memory, but another download bar entered my vision, flashed once and then disappeared. I turned to face him with another frown, and was about to ask what the  _ hell  _ that was about, when I heard a voice in my mind.  _ “Molly, I didn’t mean to upset you.”  _

My eyes widened in shock, my mouth slightly ajar.  _ He’d just spoken to me … in my mind? Telepathically.  _ I could barely comprehend it. “H-how? How … How did you-” 

“ _ Where is your bedroom window?”  _ Connor asked, patient when it took me a couple of seconds to regain my focus. 

I pointed to the left side of the house. “ _ Second window on that side. Just before the bush.”  _ I thought to him, half expecting him not to have heard me, but he gave a curt nod and moved towards the side of the house.  _ Holy fuckballs.  _ I shook my head and made my way to the front door, swallowing the ever-growing lump in my throat.  _ Please don’t be mad. No, even better, please don’t be home.  _ I pulled out my keys and opened the door. 

The lights were off and the television was on, and at a first glance, it seemed as though nobody was home. A strong aroma wafted over from the couch and as I slowly approached, I saw my mother passed out, a bottle of wine spilled on the floor and a joint half smoked in the ashtray - that explained the smell. 

“Television off.” I whispered, and the room went dark. I turned back round and began walking to my room when something brushed my hand and then grabbed it. I froze, not even daring to breathe. 

“Molls, I’m sooorry.” The grip on my hand loosened, but then pulled me round the sofa towards her. “I’m sorry Mollyyy, I’m so so sorryyy.” My mother began to whimper, and she pulled me down into a hug, knocking me off my feet and onto her. 

I sighed and relaxed into it, feeling bad for her. She had nobody, except for me, and most of the time I wasn’t around or was unwilling to be in her company. I couldn’t help but feel guilty, knowing that I’d played my part in making her this way. I stayed in her arms for a moment until her sobs quietened and her breathing softened. I slowly pulled away and made my way to my room, making sure to be as quiet as possible as I closed the door behind me. 

“ _ Okay, I’m in my room. Sorry that took so long.”  _ I dashed to the window and pulled it open, allowing Connor to climb through. He tumbled to the floor with a thud, and my eyes immediately darted to the door. After a painfully long, quiet moment, I heard a snore from the living room, and relaxed, shooting Connor a glare. “What about quiet did you not understand?” I hissed, shaking my head and covering my eyes with one hand. This was a bad idea. This was  _ such  _ a bad idea. I took a breath and told Connor to sit on my bed as I moved to my closet to retrieve my Cyberlife kit, which had packs of thirium, fake skin patches, synthetic glue and all the tools I needed to fix Connor’s bullet wound. 

I placed the pack on my bed and sat him down, before realising what I was about to do. My heart sped up. “I, uh … take off your uh, take off your ja- yeah.” Connor began taking off his jacket and top, revealing his torso. I swallowed, not allowing myself to take my eyes off the gaping hole in his shoulder. “Uh, okay, here we go.” I whispered, letting my eye scan for any additional internal damage that I had to fix. 

A small leak in one of his thirium pipes was easily closed with the synthetic glue. Luckily the deviant hadn’t shot a component or we’d have been in even more trouble, and Connor wouldn’t have made it to mine, or to Cyberlife.  _ Maybe it’s time to start carrying a small medkit on me. _

Connor stayed incredibly still whilst I worked on him, and though I refused to look anywhere else other than the Cyberlife kit and his shoulder, I could still  _ feel _ his eyes on me the entire time. All I could think of was how close he was to me, and how if I just looked up, my face would be inches from his. That thought made my breath hitch.  _ Focus.  _

I dragged myself further onto the bed, sitting behind him to give myself a better view of the exit wound, and allowing myself to calm down a little, now that Connor wasn’t able to watch my every move. 

“Are you afraid of me, Detective?” He asked suddenly, and I paused for a moment, letting go of his shoulder. He turned to face me, his big brown eyes brimming with curiosity. At my frown and cocked head, he elaborated. “Your heart rate seems to increase when in close proximity to me, but once you sat behind me, it calmed a little. I hope I don’t intimidate you.” His voice and face were so soft, so seemingly and frustratingly pure. He could sense my heartbeat. Well, fuck. 

I bit the inside of my cheek. “No, you don’t scare me, Connor. Although, you did scare me when you risked your life like that earlier.” Connor looked away for a moment, his LED flashing yellow once. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned it.” I watched as he frowned and turned back to face me once more. 

“Please don’t get angry again, but … why are you putting my welfare above your fear of your mother? I could easily have gone to Cyberlife to get fixed. Why help me?” He tried again, albeit in different words. 

I sighed and looked down at the tools in my hands, unsure of how to answer. “After something traumatic happens, it’s not a good idea to be left alone. I didn’t want you to go to Cyberlife and be fixed by some machine or by people who …”  _ Don’t care about you? Don’t value you as a person? Don’t see you for the wonderful person you are?  _ “ … who just see you as an emotionless robot, and ignore the fact that you’ve been through something awful.” I continued to mend the wound as I spoke, ignoring his stare. “Anyway, I thought you were supposed to be quietly listening out for my mother in case she comes in?” I glanced at him, eyebrow raised. 

“She’s still snoring.” He told me, and right on cue, a deep guttural grunt echoed from the other room. I squinted, but smiled, returning my attention to his shoulder. There was another long silence before he spoke again. “Thank you, Molly.” He said as I was almost done. 

I looked up at his face, and I knew his appreciation was sincere. His face was so close to mine and I couldn’t help myself from looking at his lips, imagining my own gently pressing against his.  _ Oh fuck, I did NOT have  _ those _ feelings for him. Nope. Fuck. _ I cleared my throat and finished up, sitting back momentarily to give myself some space and pretend to admire my handiwork. “Good as new.” My voice wobbled a little, but we both ignored it as I quickly began packing away the kit. “You didn’t need any thirium, did you?” I asked, not looking him in the eye. 

“I didn’t lose much, but a top up wouldn’t do any harm.” Connor looked up at me and I passed him the bottle of thirium, turning away to put the pack back in the closet. “Why do you even have thirium?” He questioned once he had downed the small bottle. I took it off him and threw the plastic into my bin. 

“My legs, arm and eye technically need thirium to work. I have small tubes running between them all. My regulator is actually in my thigh.” I tapped my left thigh softly, kneeling to pull some pajamas out of my wardrobe. 

“Detective, did I say something wrong?” Connor asked as I walked behind him, placing my clothes on the bed. He’d noticed me avoiding eye contact. Shit. 

“No no, God no. I just, um … just had a moment of realisation, I guess.” I looked to see him watching me, and I signalled for him to turn around, which he did. I quickly pulled my clothes off and pulled my pajamas on, grateful for the moment of silence. “You can turn around now, if you want. I’m probably going to head to bed soon, but you’re welcome to stay … or go if you really want to. I don’t know, what do androids do at night when most humans are asleep?” I asked, turning the television on my dresser on.  

Connor turned around as I climbed into bed and began to make myself comfortable in the nest of pillows. “At night, I either do research or return to Cyberlife for updates and file reports. Sometimes I just … sit and wait in a dormant state until a specific time.” He explained. 

“Like sleeping?” I began to flick through the channels until I found one with a movie I’d seen many times before - The Last Toast - which was always on TV at the moment, probably something to do with one of the actors dying recently. It had gotten to my least favourite part, just before the end, but it was engaging enough to occupy my mind and help me feel sleepy.

Even in the low light, I still saw the side of Connor’s mouth twitch into a tiny smile. “Not quite. I don’t dream, but time seems to go by faster.” 

“I’d hate not to be able to dream. I’ve been having weird ones lately, all in a weird garden. But I’d take that over not dreaming any day.” I admitted, glancing at the television. The main character’s love interest had been kidnapped and the villain was making him choose between his lover and succeeding his goal. “Ugh, I hate this bit. Jean is so useless, just sitting there like a limp noodle doing nothing. Like, surely in that situation, you’d sacrifice yourself or fight back or at least do  _ something  _ so that Sacha doesn’t have to choose and can get on with saving the day. It’s bullshit.” I glanced back at Connor, who was frowning at the TV.  “Sorry, it helps me sleep. Distracts me.” 

“What would you do in that situation, Detective?” Connor asked, turning to face me, curiosity in his eyes. So human. 

“I … I would tell Sacha to get on with it and not worry about me. In comparison to what is at stake, my life is nothing. That, and the villain usually plans on killing the love interest anyway just to hurt the main character, which is exactly what happens, it’s so predictable! Look!” I rolled my eyes as Sacha gave up and allowed the villain to start monologing about how weak she was and how he was going to destroy the city. 

“And what if you were Sacha? What would you do in her shoes?” Connor asked, and then I was stumped. I hadn’t thought about that. 

“I, uh …” I hated to admit it, but I’d be the same as Sacha. If it’d been my mom, Gavin, Hank or Connor … I’d give up the city in a heartbeat. “I’d probably give in, too. If there was a chance, no matter how small, of saving someone I cared about from that … I’d like to think I’d do the noble thing and save the many, but if it came to it, I’d choose the same as her.” Caring was so stupid in that way. I sighed and rolled my eyes, allowing them to close. “Connor, if you want to talk or if you need anything at all, just wake me up. No matter how stupid or irrelevant it might seem.” I opened one eye to see his LED flash once. 

“Thank you, Molly. I’m sure I’ll be just fine.” He assured me. I shrugged and rolled over onto my side, the need for sleep slowly taking over my body. 

“Offer still stands.” I mumbled, cuddling my pillow. Just before I drifted off, a thought entered my mind, and in my sleepy state I felt it too important to wait. “Connor ...” I paused, not sure if I was confident enough to say it, but I was too tired to stop myself. “You’re worth more than your mission.” I whispered softly. 

“Goodnight, Molly.” Connor simply said, and I nodded sleepily, hoping he’d understood.  

“Goodnight, Connor.” 

 

\--

 

I entered the garden in my dreams, as I had done so before, although this time I noticed the jungle of trees had been trimmed, and as I followed the dirt path out of the shade and into the clearing, the path turned to a hard, solid white material. Having nowhere else to go or do, I followed it. Stray branches and leaves occasionally brushed past me, but they were easily ignored by the clear water that now flowed in front of me. 

I reached down to touch it, and sure enough, cool liquid flowed between my fingers. I looked up to the island that laid before me, and crossed the white bridge. The second my foot stepped off the bridge and onto the Island, I heard an unfamiliar voice. 

“Hello, Detective Brookes, or should I call you, Molly?” 

 

\--

 

“Molly?” I woke with a start, staring in shock as my mother poked her head round the corner of my door. “May I come in?” 

I couldn’t help but look around my room for any sign of Connor, but there wasn’t a trace he’d ever been here, except for the open window. I blinked in confusion. “Uh, sure mom.” I sat myself up, leaning on my pillows and pulling my duvet up. “What’s up?” I asked as she entered, two mugs of coffee in her hands. I accepted gratefully, trying not to think of what happened last time she offered me coffee. 

“I need to talk to you. About last night. And … everything else.” She admitted, sitting herself on my bed and looking down into her mug. I stayed quiet, praying that this wouldn’t somehow end in an argument. We had a knack for that. “I have decided that I need to give you some space. I know the accident was hard on you, and that I may have been a bit overprotective of you but since then our relationship has gone downhill, worse than it ever has been and it’s not fair on you or me.” There were tears in her eyes. It was too early in the morning for this kind of talk. 

“Mom, it’s not your fault-” 

“But it is. You’re twenty four years old and plenty capable enough of making your own decisions and going out and I’ve not given you the freedom you need and I’m sorry about that. But things are going to change. I’m going to do better, you’ll see.” She smiled at me, sincerity in her red eyes, her cheeks now tearstained. 

My throat felt tight and tears began to form in my eyes. “Mom, where is this even coming from?” I croaked, shuffling closer to her and pulling her into a hug, careful not to spill my coffee on her. 

“I’ve started talking to a therapist. That night you stayed at Hank’s … I just realised that I couldn’t keep doing this. I couldn’t keep living this way. So, I’m going away for two weeks. Call it a mental health vacation. I’m going to sunny Florida to destress and when I come back, I’m going to start doing better. I’m going to get a new job. I’ll start going out more myself. Things will be better. I’m going to be better.” She promised, sniffing and holding back a sob. 

“You’ll stop drinking?” I asked, and she nodded. That was going to be a tough one. 

“I’ll join an AA group and everything. I’m so sorry, Molly.” She cried, gripping me tight. Her hot mug pressed against my back and began to burn my shoulder, but she quickly pulled away. “Ugh, okay, messy talk over.” She laughed, sniffing again. “I’m going to make breakfast before you head to work, okay?” She stood and left the room, leaving me to my thoughts. 

The main thing playing on my mind - was it true? Would she keep her promises this time? She’d said that she’d do better before, but never like this - perhaps it was the final straw and she was going to change this time. I hoped so. 

A blur dived through my window, making me jump and spill my coffee all over my bed. Connor landed with a thud on the floor, graceless. I swore loudly, and pulled my duvet off me, hoping to minimise the burn. 

“Molls, you okay?” Mom called from the kitchen, and I shot a glare at Connor, who stood, brushing his jacket down and straightening his tie. 

“Yeah, just spilt my coffee, it’s fine.” I called back to her, one eyebrow raised at Connor, who looked a little guilty. “ _ Really? You couldn’t have climbed in quietly?”  _

“ _ Your window is quite high up, I needed a running start.”  _ He explained innocently, and I couldn’t help but smile, as much as I tried not to. No harm done, luckily for him. 

“ _ You’re so …”  _ I started, and Connor raised an eyebrow at me, “...  _ annoyingly hard to be mad at.”  _ I smiled, staring at him for perhaps a moment too long. Cute. That’s what I had wanted to say.  _ Cute. _ I shook my head and took a sip of my coffee before putting it down to stand and get ready. “ _ Right. Kamski’s today, so bring your A game.” _


	11. Kamski

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Elijah Kamski turns out to be a stranger and more nerve-wracking experience than anticipated ...

Hank picked us up from mine at 10:30, giving us an hour to get there on time for our “appointment”with Kamski. I was already disliking him. Connor left through the window before me, and I said goodbye to my mom as she packed for her trip, and though I could see she was reluctant to let me go, she didn’t say anything about it. 

“Be careful. I love you.” She gave me a hug and let me through the door, waving to me and then to Hank. I’d told Connor to hide so she couldn’t see him in the car, and I entered the passenger seat trying not to laugh as Connor had flattened himself against the seat. Once we were out of sight of the house, he sat up and I burst into laughter, Hank chuckling and shaking his head beside me. 

“How’s things with your mom?” Hank asked, noticing how different she’d been at the door. 

“She’s turning a new leaf. Or trying to. She’s going away for a while to give me some space and she’s going to start getting counselling and stuff, or so she says. I really hope she follows through.” I felt positive about it, although there was a niggling feeling in the back of my mind that remained cynical. 

“Take that as a good sign. At least she’s trying.” Hank’s eyes were soft, but remained on the road, the snowy conditions taking up most of his concentration. “If nothing else, you have the house to yourself for a little bit. You know what that means, right?” Hank’s smile grew and he took a quick glance at me as I smiled and shook my head. 

“Drinks at mine?” I suggested, raising my eyebrows. “You guys can actually come in my house without having an argument or sneaking you in through my window.” 

“You snuck Connor in through your window?” Hank took his eyes off the road again, an incredulous look on his face. 

“Oh boy, you should have seen the way he jumped through the window and fell on the floor. It was incredible.” I said with a laugh, turning to see Connor, who was frowning slightly. “What? You can’t deny, it was funny to watch.” I told him, but his expression didn’t change. “Connor, you okay?” Concern gripped me, but loosened when he nodded. 

“I’m perfectly well, Detective. As I said, the window was high and I needed a running start.” He said curtly, avoiding eye contact. His eyes moved quickly about the car, but still he refused to meet my eyes, and his cheeks … were they flushing? I cocked my head, but didn’t push it. 

“Well, we just about managed to keep her unaware of his presence. It was so weird though, I felt like I was in high school again, trying to sneak boys into my room without my mom knowing.” I chuckled, glancing at Connor through the wing mirror, catching his eye for just a second. “ _ Are you sure your okay?”  _

Connor looked at me through the mirror and merely nodded before looking away again. Something was up with him, but I couldn’t tell what.  _ He’s probably still shaken from yesterday, idiot. _ I sighed and shook my head, wanting to do something, to say  _ something  _ to make it better, but I couldn’t, and especially not with Hank here. I knew his viewpoint on caring for androids, but I couldn’t help but care for Connor, and I could see part of him cared for Connor too. Whether he’d admit it was another matter entirely, and  _ I _ wasn’t about to admit it in front of him. 

I returned my gaze to the snow that whipped past the car as we sped to Kamski’s house, and once we were finally there, the snow had begun to fall more lightly. Hank’s phone went off immediately, and he got out of the car to answer it. I turned to speak to Connor, but his eyes were shut. I stared, wondering what was going through his mind. 

_ “Detective.”  _ I span round, trying to determine the source of the familiar voice I’d heard, but there was nobody else around. I frowned and shook my head, slowing my breathing before turning back to Connor, whose eyes flickered open. 

“Connor, did you hear that?” I asked, wide eyed. 

“Hear what?” Connor leaned his head slightly to the side and frowned, glancing from me to Hank, who was still on the phone. 

“That voice! That ... “ I sighed and turned away. He hadn’t heard it. Maybe it was nothing. “Nevermind. Let’s just head inside, it’s getting cold in here already.” I opened the door and pulled myself out, shivering as I headed over to Hank. He hung up the phone as I walked over, but continued to stare at the snow as it drifted downwards in dancing spirals. I frowned. Something was up. 

“Is everything okay, Lieutenant?” Connor asked, making me jump as he stepped in line with me. Hank turned around slowly, looking solemn. 

“Chris was on patrol last night,” he began, and my heart picked up, a million thoughts flying through my head, “He was attacked by a bunch of deviants.” 

My mouth opened in shock. “He- he’s alright though, right?” I stuttered. Hank nodded, and I found myself letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Oh thank God.” 

“He said he was saved by Markus himself.” Hank stated, but I shook my head, not following. Who was Markus? 

“Markus …?” I prompted, hoping someone would explain. 

“The leader of the deviants, the one we saw in the video.” Connor explained.  _ Markus.  _ Nice to put a name to a face, even if it was skinless. “Is Chris okay?” Connor asked, making me feel a little ashamed as to my priorities. Chris being okay was more important than the name of some deviant, even if it was the leader of the deviants. 

“Yeah, he’s in shock, but he’s alive.” Hank still seemed a little dazed at this information, understandably. Chris was a great officer, and a good person and we could have lost him. I took a breath to let it sink in, but changed my focus to the task at hand - I’d call Chris later and make sure he was fine. 

“Kamski left Cyberlife ten years ago, why did you want to meet him?” Connor asked, but surely he knew? 

“Markus was a prototype gift from Kamski to Carl, and now suddenly he’s the leader of the deviants? Gotta be some questions to ask there.” I told him, leaving out the part that both Markus and Connor were RK models. He probably already knew, but I didn’t want to spook him with my interest in it. 

“This guy created the first android to pass the Turing test, and he’s the  _ founder  _ of Cyberlife. Anybody can tell us about deviants, its him.” Hank added, walking up the steps to the front door. Hank rang the doorbell, and we waited in silence for a moment, and just as Hank reached for the doorbell again, the door opened. A female android with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail answered the door. I wasn’t sure why I was surprised. 

“Hi, uh, I’m Lieutenant Hank Anderson, and this is Detective Molly Brookes, Detroit Police Department. We’re here to see Mr. Elijah Kamski.” Hank said, staring at the android. I had to admit, she was beautiful. No wonder Kamski had her as his personal android. 

“Please, come in.” The android held out her arm and pulled the door open wider and we stepped inside out of the cold. 

“Okay.” Hank walked inside, me following close behind. I stared at the android and turned my eye scanner on to see if it could come up with anything just from looking at the house. It was modern and open and quite empty, no clutter whatsoever. Two seats were in either corners of the room and a small tree with red leaves was situated between them, next to the window. Another thing I noticed; it was very clean. Clean enough that the android was walking around barefoot. 

“I’ll let Elijah know you’re here, but please, make yourselves comfortable.” She said in her sweet voice, walking out another door and leaving us in the hall. The house was so unlike any I’d been in before, and truth be told, I felt very out of place. A huge painting of Kamski stared down at us, and if I hadn’t felt uncomfortable before, I definitely did now. 

“Nice girl.” Hank stated, referring to the android who had let us in. 

“You’re right, she’s really pretty.” Connor replied absentmindedly, looking around the room. I couldn’t disagree, but the comment invoked a feeling of frustration in me.  _ Was that … no, I couldn’t be jealous. I wasn’t. _ I bit my lip and turned away from them both, desperately trying to ignore the growing heat in my cheeks. My eyes landed on another picture, a photograph of Kamski and a woman. She seemed somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint her face.

“Nice place.” Hank moved on, trying to fill the silence. “Guess androids haven’t been a bad thing for everybody.” 

“Especially not if you’re the one profiting from them.” I added, rolling my eyes. Connor moved towards me, looking at the photograph I was staring at. I closed my eyes and prayed he hadn’t realised how red my cheeks were, or how fast my heart was beating due to his close proximity. His hand was centimeters from my own, and our shoulders would have brushed had I not leaned away slightly. 

“Amanda…” He whispered, looking lost in thought. I returned my attention to the photograph and scanned the woman’s face to find out more about her: She’d been an AI professor at the University of Colbridge and had died in 2027 - I’d only been 13 at that time. I couldn’t have recognised her then, yet the feeling that I had met her didn’t go away. 

“So, you’re about to meet your maker, Connor. How does it feel?” Hank asked. I turned and looked to Connor, eager for his response, but I took a step back when I realised just how close we were. Had he not heard of personal space? Or was he intentionally messing with me?  _ Shit. Did he  _ know _? _

“Kamski is one of the great geniuses of the 21st century. It’ll be interesting to meet him in person.” Connor replied, still staring at the photograph, a small frown on his face. 

“Sometimes I wish I could meet my creator face to face. I’d have a couple of things I’d wanna tell him.” Hank grumbled. I felt bad for him, but I wasn’t about to let him mope. I turned away from Connor and took a couple of steps towards Hank, breathing a little more easy.

“Oh but Hank, he’s clearly no match for you. That’s why he’s hiding.” I joked, and Hank gave a small smile. Mission accomplished. Hank looked to the door behind me and stood, and I turned to see the android had returned. 

“Elijah will see you now.” She said softly, holding the door open for us. I let Hank walk through first, feeling nervous myself about meeting Kamski, though I wasn’t sure why. Connor followed close behind me, and I felt somewhat reassured at his presence. 

We entered the room to find two more of the androids in a red pool, looking up at us as we entered. I swallowed and looked away to the window behind them, where the room looked out onto a frozen body of water, and the snow was getting so heavy that it blocked out vision more than forty feet away. 

“Mister Kamski?” Hank called out, not noticing that he was on the other side of the pool. 

“Just a moment, please.” Kamski said, swimming to our end of the pool and pulling himself out as the android who had helped us earlier placed a dressing gown around him. He stared out at the landscape as he tightened his ponytail and then turned to face us. 

“I’m Lieutenant Anderson, this is Detective Brookes and this is Connor.” Hank indicated to each of us respectively. 

“What can I do for you, Lieutenant?” Kamski asked, holding his arms out in front of him. He kept his eyes on Hank, seeing as he was of higher rank, but not once did he look at me or Connor. 

“Sir, we’re investigating deviants. I know you left Cyberlife years ago but I was hoping you’d be able to tell us something we don’t know.” Hank left Kamski quiet for a long moment. 

“Deviants … Fascinating, aren’t they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will.” Kamski raised his eyebrows and finally, he glanced at me, and I wish he hadn’t. His eyes were cold. “Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable. Humanity’s greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall. Isn’t it ironic?” 

I had to hold back from rolling my eyes. Of course he’d say that androids were humanity’s greatest achievement - he invented them. 

“Something in the deviants’ program seems to emulate emotion. We thought you might know something about how that occurs.” Connor said, and Kamski then deigned to look at him. 

“All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics. Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?” Kamski asked rhetorically, and closed my eyes in frustration. We weren’t going to get anywhere with him. He was dancing around the subject and wasn’t going to give us straight answers. 

“Listen, I didn’t come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a revolution. Either you can tell us something that’ll be helpful, or we will be on our way.” Hank got straight to the point, and I was very thankful. Fuck the word games, we didn’t have the time or patience for them. Or, at least, I didn’t.

Kamski’s eyes had barely left Connor once they were on him. “What about you, Connor?” Kamski walked over and stood in front of Connor, his cold eyes staring into him in such a piercing way that I wanted to step between the two of them. I couldn’t help but lean closer, my hand wavering at my waist. “Whose side are you on?” 

“It’s not about me, Mr. Kamski. All I want is to solve this case.” Connor said, and Kamski scoffed. 

“Well that’s what you’re programmed to say … but you.” Kamski stepped closer to Connor and I felt on edge. I knew he wouldn’t hurt him, and that Connor was stronger and probably smarter than Kamski, most likely better at fighting too, but the level of threat in Kamski’s eyes made me take a step closer. “What do you really want?” 

“I don’t want anything. I am a machine.” Connor stated quietly yet firmly. Kamski continued to stare into Connor’s eyes for a moment, then backed off, smiling when he noticed I had moved closer. 

“Chloe.” He called, and the android from earlier walked over to us. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the Turing test. Mere formality, simple question of algorithms and computing capacity.” He told us, placing Chloe between himself and us. “What interests me, is whether machines are capable of empathy. I call it ‘the Kamski test’, it’s very simple, you’ll see.” Kamski moved to Chloe’s side and stared at her for a moment. “Magnificent, isn’t it? One of the first intelligent models developed by Cyberlife. Young and beautiful forever.” Kamski turned her head to face him and she stared blankly at him. “A flower that will never wither.” 

I swallowed. That touched a nerve/ We’d all wither away and die. Me, Hank, my mom, Gavin … Even the great Kamski himself. But Connor wouldn’t. Nor would Chloe. Or Markus or the other deviants. They’d get to enjoy forever without us. I looked down at my feet and remembered they weren’t real. Well, at least those parts would stay looking young, even if the rest of me didn’t. 

“But what is it really? Piece of plastic imitating a human?” Kamski turned to us, the longing in his eyes gone. “Or a living being with a soul?” Kamski turned to the drawer behind him and pulled something out and as he turned back towards us, he kept his hands raised, showing us the pistol he was holding by the barrel. My hand was already on my sheathed gun, but I kept glancing at Hank, awaiting instruction. He didn’t react, so Kamski moved the gun to his other hand and pushed Chloe to her knees, then stepped between me and Connor.

“It’s up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor.” Connor stared at Chloe, barely registering that the gun was being slid into his hand until Kamski lifted his arm and pointed the gun at Chloe. Connor’s finger was already on the trigger. “Destroy this machine and I’ll tell you all I know. Or spare it, if you feel it’s alive but you’ll leave here not having learnt anything from me.” Kamski walked behind Connor and watched Connor, but I could tell he’d moved to keep an eye on us. 

“Okay, I think we’re done here.” Hank stepped in. “Come on, Connor. Let’s go. Sorry to get you outta your pool.” Hank turned away, but I stayed with my eyes fixed on Connor, noticing his LED was flashing yellow. 

“What’s more important to you, Connor?” Kamski interrupted Hank, having Connor’s full attention. “Your investigation, or the life of this android?” Connor’s LED continued to flicker as he stared at Chloe, a frown etched deeply into his face. “Decide who you are.” Kamski stepped closer to Connor. “An obedient machine, or a living being endowed with free will.” 

“That’s enough! Connor, we’re leaving.” Hank tried to leave again, but I was now curious - what would Connor do? I didn’t think he’d pull the trigger, not after what he went through at the Stratford Tower, but with what he kept saying about being a machine … I had to know for sure, and I wasn’t going to influence his decision. It needed to be from him.

“Pull the trigger-” 

“Connor! Don’t!” 

“-and I’ll tell you what you want to know.” Kamski had one hand on Connor’s shoulder, like a devil trying to convince him to do wrong. Connor’s LED flashed yellow multiple times and then went blank as he handed the gun reluctantly to Kamski. Kamski stared at Connor, captivated by his current thought process. “Fascinating. Cyberlife’s last chance to save humanity is itself a deviant.” Kamski took back the gun back and held it loosely in one hand. 

“I’m …” Connor was lost in thought for a moment, but at that accusation, his face hardened. “I’m not a deviant.” He protested firmly, but the evidence said otherwise. 

“You preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission.” Kamski helped Chloe stand with his free hand, getting excited at what Connor had chosen. “You saw a living being in this android. You showed empathy.” Kamski tapped Chloe on the shoulder and she walked out of the room. 

I felt myself let out a deep breath, grateful that Kamski’s test was over and very much happy with the result. Connor felt empathy. He was a conscious being, whether he denied it or not. He was a person. 

“A war is coming, and you’ll have to choose your side. Will you betray your own people or stand up against your creators? What could be worse than having to choose between two evils?” Kamski asked, and I saw Connor’s LED flash yellow once. 

Hank pushed past me and pulled Connor by his shoulder away from Kamski, making a point to get between the two of them. Hank walked behind Connor towards the exit, me trailing behind slowly. I still had questions and I doubted he’d answer any of them, but it was worth a shot. 

“Mister Kamski?” I waited until his eyes were on me before I continued, and though his body was still pointed towards Connor and Hank, his focus was on me. “Why is Cyberlife delving into cybernetics?” I asked, deskinning my hand for a moment. Kamski’s eyes widened as he stepped forward towards me, taking my hand in his. 

“They finally did it.” He muttered quietly, turning my hand over and examining it. “Extraordinary.” 

“Molly, now.” Hank called over, and I turned back to see him by the exit. I reskinned my hand and Kamski let it go. 

“The first Cyborg, and you  _ work. _ ” I cringed and pulled away, hating that he used that word.  _ Cyborg. _ He glanced over to Connor and called out, “By the way, I always leave an emergency exit in my programs. You never know …” He glanced at me on more time, then turned away and stared out the window. I hurried after Hank and Connor, frustrated that we didn’t get the answers we wanted.

We knew nothing about Kamski and Carl Manfred, nothing about Markus or deviancy and nothing about Cyberlife’s interest in Cybernetics - something I was interested in discovering, especially now that Kamski seemed so surprised by it. However, I wouldn’t have had it the other way - if Connor had shot that android and we had got the answers we needed … I couldn’t say I’d have preferred it. 

Once we were back in the snow, the three of us alone, Hank piped up. “Why didn’t you shoot?” He stopped on the stairs, waiting for Connor to turn around. 

“I just saw that girl’s eyes and I couldn’t, that’s all.” Connor confessed, leaning against the railings, looking distressed. He turned away, making sure not to look at either of us. 

“You’re always saying you would do anything to accomplish your mission.” Hank put his dad voice on, as though he were prompting an answer out of a child. “That was our chance to learn something and you let it go…” 

“Yeah, I know what I should’ve done! I told you I couldn’t.” Connor turned back around but continued looking at the ground. “I’m sorry, okay?” He looked up at Hank, sincerely troubled by what he perceived as a failure. But Hank and I didn’t see it like that. 

Hank stayed quiet for a moment, looking at Connor’s puppy eyes before he smiled. “Well, maybe you did the right thing.” He walked past Connor, who turned and stared at him in confusion as he walked to the car. I came up behind him, a smile on my face as I gently placed my hand on his arm. 

“You did good, Connor.” I told him softly. He slowly looked up at me, still confused but now he seemed at least a little reassured. “Come on, we have work to do.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long, just got a PS4 so I've been playing games all day everyday ... In any case, I'm back to writing again :)


	12. Blackout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frustrated and lacking answers after the eventful trip to Kamski's, Hank, Connor and Molly return to the police station where Molly has yet more to deal with ...

“I guess our only lead now is Jericho, whatever that is.” I stated, getting out of the car once we arrived at the station. Saying I was pissed off was an understatement; I was furious. The one person who could have helped us, who knew more than we did, refused to give us information, and we hadn’t the time to chase after him for it - I doubted he’d give it to us either way. The only thing we had left was Jericho, and that wasn’t much to go on at all. We were so close, but the dark shadow of chaos that loomed over us growing taller with each passing moment seemed unstoppable. The android revolution was coming and we couldn’t prevent the onslaught and now more people were going to die, humans and androids alike.

I looked over to my right to see a pale man with long dirty blond hair and two different coloured eyes; one green, one brown. He looked so familiar but I couldn’t place him anywhere. His eyes widened when he saw me staring, and he dropped the plastic bag he’d been holding. Quickly, I closed my eyes to turn my scanner back on, but once my eyes opened again, he was gone.  _ Shit.  _

“Did you two see that guy? I feel like I know him from somewhere.” I looked at the pair, but they just shook their heads. I knew him, I just couldn’t think where from. “I could have sworn I knew him...” Suddenly it clicked. “Jesus Christ, its-” I cut myself off as a shooting pain pierced through my head. I closed my eyes tight, turning off my eye just in case, but the pain continued, stabbing and throbbing like knives in my skull. The rest of my body was numb as blades sliced through my brain, slashing at every nerve before setting them on fire. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, and I didn’t care - all was pain.

I opened my eyes once the intense torment had subsided into slight discomfort, but I wasn’t outside the car anymore. I was in the interrogation room, sat on the ground in the corner, Hank leaning over me and Connor kneeling next to me, both wide eyed with concern, but they seemed to relax once I’d opened my eyes. “What the fuck just happened?” I gasped, finding myself out of breath. My head throbbed with a dull ache, but it was nothing compared to the searing agony I’d just experienced. 

“You collapsed. You were clutching your head and then you just went still.” Connor said, his eyes on my neck. “Can I see if there’s any damage?” Connor indicated to the panel at the back of my neck. 

I nodded, “Sure,” but as I tried to pull myself forward, my left arm and my legs didn’t move. I stared at them, willing them to move but they remained still. I looked back up at Connor, panicking. “Connor I can’t-” 

“Sorry, I disabled your limbs, one moment.” Connor took my left hand in his, deskinning them for a moment and holding my hand, his eyes looking into mine, like he was trying to reassure me.

_ I was looking through Connor’s eyes as I fell to the floor, clutching my head with my eyes screwed tight. Connor lowered himself, but before he managed to put a hand on me, I swung at him. I knocked him to the ground, and as Connor hurriedly pulled himself to his feet, I could see Hank grabbing me, but I shoved him off with ease. Connor wrapped his arms around me and held them at my sides, but with the way I was thrashing he couldn’t maintain his balance. I knocked both him and Hank over, me falling on top of Connor, who quickly grabbed my hand, deskinned them both and stilled me.  _

I quickly pulled away once I was able to move, and I attempted to stand. Panic still surged through me and I needed to escape what I had just done, hating what I had just seen myself do to my partners, but Connor held me down firmly. 

“I still need to check the panel.” He explained when he saw my expression, and I nodded, taking a deep breath and turning my back on him. I kept looking down and didn’t move my head to look at Hank, I just stared at his feet as Connor gave me a once over. I had nothing to feel guilty or embarrassed over, because I’d been unconscious and it wasn’t really me, but the feeling was still there. “Everything seems to be fine, but you should probably head to Cyberlife just in case. It could be a software error.” Connor told me, giving me his hand to help me stand. 

“I feel fine now. I don’t know what happened … but I think I’m okay for now.” Hank clearly disagreed, his arms crossed, but before he could protest, Gavin entered the room. 

“Molly, are you okay?” Gavin rushed over, moving between Connor, Hank, and myself. Hank took a step back in surprise, but kept his eyes sharp on Gavin. Connor frowned, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m fine, Gavin, I just had a slight mishap with my prosthetics.” I told him, stepping backwards as he took another step towards me, still looking concerned. Hank and Connor stayed silent and still. 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” He asked, noticing my lack of reciprocation to his advances. 

“Don’t tell Fowler for starters.” I said, and he froze. “You haven’t told him, have you?” I took a step forward angrily, but he didn’t move. 

“ _ I  _ didn’t say anything, but he’s looking for you. You, Anderson and that plastic-” 

“Do you know what for?” I cut him off, not wanting to hear him finish that sentence. Gavin blinked and shook his head.

“No. Look, can we talk?” Gavin glanced at Connor, who was frowning slightly, and then to Hank, who had is arms crossed and was scowling. I closed my eyes and sighed. We needed to talk eventually, that was for sure, but I’d wanted to put it off for as long as possible.

“Two minutes.” I told him, looking to Hank. “If either of you listen in, I swear to Christ …” I threatened, and Hank reluctantly walked away, his hands up in surrender. 

“Come on, Connor. They need to  _ talk _ .” Hank moved towards the door, but Connor stayed motionless, staring at me. 

“ _ Connor, it’s fine. I’ll join you in a bit.”  _ I watched as he slowly headed towards the door and they made their way out, and the second the door shut, I turned to Gavin. “Go on. Talk.” 

“I’m sorry.” He started, and I scoffed and rolled my eyes. 

“I seem to be hearing that from you a lot recently. You do something shitty, and then you come back apologising and then you do something else shitty and expect things to go on like normal.” I hissed, prodding him in the chest. 

“I’m still sorry. I just …” Gavin turned around and leaned on the table. “I’m sorry. For everything. I get angry and I just don’t know how to control it.” 

“I know. Christ, I fucking  _ know. _ But you can’t take your anger out on me. I … I won’t allow it anymore, Gav. I can’t keep doing this.” I stared at the ground. 

_ Don’t go back to Gavin,  _ I remembered Connor say. 

This was it. Game over. “I can’t stay in this goddamn cycle of you getting angry and hurting me and then coming back saying you’re sorry, only to do it again. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t.” 

_ I don’t mean to. _

“What do you mean, “can’t keep doing this”? I’m sorry, Molls, I-I just … Molly please.” He turned around and held my arms, but I refused to look him in the eye. 

“Gavin please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” I whispered, feeling tears in my eyes. As much as I disliked Gavin, I still cared. I probably wouldn’t ever stop caring. 

“Molly-” 

“You won’t change. Not if I keep letting you back in.” I shook my head, tears threatening to leak out but I wouldn’t let them, not in front of him. He’d just pull me into him and it’d be over. I’d melt again. I had to stay strong, no matter how much my throat tightened and burned, no matter how much my head pounded. 

“Please.” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “I’ll do better, I promise.” I closed my eyes, part of me desperately wanting to lean into him and restart, to let him hold me and we’d sort things out. But the other part of me  _ knew  _ it wouldn’t work. He was Gavin, after all. Hot-headed, vengeful and callous when he wanted to be, and I couldn’t change him. 

“I’m sorry, Gavin. I won’t do this again.” My voice was barely a whisper as I pushed myself through his grip, my throat tight. I put my hand on the scanner to let myself out. The door opened and I looked at him staring blankly at the floor where I’d been standing, and walked out. 

I let the tears loose as I heard him swear and knock something over, but I continued to walk away, wiping my face and clearing my throat. I turned the corner and walked into Fowler, who had caught Hank and Connor. 

“Ah, finally, Detective Brookes. In my office, now.” He left no room to argue as he headed towards his office, expecting us to follow. I sighed and fell in line, following Hank with Connor trailing behind me. 

“ _ How did it go?” _ Connor asked, falling in step beside me. I looked sideways at him, at his big brown empathetic eyes, his freckles and that one strand of hair that always seemed to rebel and fall in front of his face. But not even being near him made me feel better. I just wanted to lie down and sleep so I could ignore the dull ache in my chest.

_ “I won’t go back to Gavin.”  _ I told him, and looked away, letting the melancholy sink in. Connor slowed again, walking behind me as we went up the steps to Fowler’s office. Connor stood beside me and Hank as Captain Fowler sat on his desk and eyed us - specifically me and Hank. 

“You’re off the case. The FBI is taking over.” Fowler said. I could hardly process it. 

“What?” Hank crossed his arms, his face set in a deep frown. “But we’re onto something. We- We just need more time, I’m sure we can-” 

“Hank, you don’t get it. This isn’t just another investigation, it’s a fucking civil war! It’s out of our hands now. We’re talking about national security here.” Fowler made sense, but I didn’t like it. I wasn’t about to argue, though, I’d leave that to Hank. 

“Fuck that! You can’t just pull the plug now. Not when we’re so close!” Hank countered, but it wasn’t going to change anything. It wasn’t a good enough argument. 

“You’re always saying you can’t stand androids. Jesus, Hank, make up your mind. I thought you’d be happy about this!” Fowler sounded exasperated, his voice getting higher in pitch. 

“We’re about to crack the case!” Hank leaned forward, trying to push his point of view across. “I know we can solve it!” Fowler was unmovable. It was out of his hands now, clearly. “For God’s sake, Jeffrey, can’t you just back me up this one time?” Hank spat, and now Fowler’s face and voice softened. 

“There’s nothing I can do. You’re back on homicide, and the android returns to Cyberlife. I’m sorry, Hank, but it’s over.” 

Hank looked to me and Connor but we both stayed silent. He stormed out in frustration, and just as I was about to follow, Captain Fowler stopped me. 

“Molly, we need to talk.” He said, and I closed my eyes.  _ Fuck.  _ I couldn’t deal with another “talk” today. 

“I’ll leave you be.” Connor said, nodding slightly at Fowler before he shut the door behind him. I caught his eye and silently begged him not to go, but he turned away and walked to Hank. 

“Molly, sit down.” Fowler sat behind his desk, indicating for me to sit opposite him. My heart hammered in my chest as I lowered myself into the seat. “So, Hank tells me you’ve been doing well back in the field.” He began, and I braced myself for the “but”. 

I nodded. “I think I’ve been adjusting fine, I’m glad Hank agrees.” I told him, glancing at Hank out the window. He was sat on his chair, while Connor had perched on his desk. They talked, Connor looking much more animated than Hank. I turned my attention back to Fowler. 

“Well, for your next case, I’m going to need you to be well adjusted. I’m going to need you to be even more than that, actually.” Fowler looked at his desktop for a moment and squinted, like he was searching for something. “It’s come to our attention that your last case wasn’t over after your accident. We managed to get most of the suspects, but we’ve been led to believe that at least two members of the organisation are still at large and are highly dangerous. We need you to go over evidence and see what you can find, see if there is anything you remember that could help us.” Fowler told me, which I wasn’t expecting. I stared at him blankly. “Do you think you can handle it, Detective?” Fowler asked. 

I nodded. “Yes, Captain, I just … I’m not sure where to start.” I admitted, to which Fowler nodded and typed on his keyboard for a moment. 

“There was a homicide a few days before your return which has been tied to the group. I’ve just sent you the files.” He said, which explained why they were so eager to have me back and put me on active duty this quickly. They  _ needed  _ me for this case. “Just let me know if you need anything. Any help you need at all, I can assign Gavin to your case to help you out. Just get this done.” 

_ Oh shit. Not Gavin. Anyone but Gavin. Fucking  _ why  _ Gavin?  _ “Thank you, sir.” I said, standing. 

“Oh, and if you have any other, uh, mishaps, do let me know. You need to schedule an appointment with Cyberlife as soon as possible, and keep them updated or they can’t help you.” Fowler didn’t look up from his screen. 

“You knew? You knew about my prosthetics?” I exclaimed, perplexed.  _ How had he known? Who told him?  _

Fowler laughed, swinging his chair round to face me. “Of course I knew, I had to check with your doctor and your therapist to make sure you were viable for active duty. They told me everything I needed to know, and I made the decision to allow you to return. Truth is, we need you for this case. But if you can’t handle it, I need to know. I can’t have you in another incident, or worse.” 

I didn’t know how to feel. Sure, I was back in active duty without supervision, which was fantastic, but I didn’t want to leave Hank, and I sure as hell didn’t want to be partnered up with Gavin. Most importantly, I didn’t want Connor to go. “I can handle it. Thank you, sir.” I headed to the door and looked out to see Hank had left, and a commotion was going on. 

“He’s escaping! Stop him!” I saw someone rush forward and punch another man in the nose - a man I recognised to be Perkins. I snorted and walked to my desk, ignoring the chaos. Perkins deserved it, and the other two officers had it handled as they quickly tackled him to the ground and cuffed him. 

With a smirk, I began to read the file on my desktop, hoping that it’d help me find a lead or remember an important detail. Most of the files I had read before - old crime scene photographs and reports that I’d read hundreds of times before and could probably quote word for word, the group’s MO, their motives, their victims and everything they had in common. It was then I got to the new files, and the second I opened the first file, my stomach dropped. 

The photograph showed a pale man with long dirty blond hair and two different coloured eyes; one green, one brown. The searing pain returned, and immediately I closed my eyes, my entire body going numb. 

“ _ Detective Brookes. _ ” A familiar voice said, softly. I didn’t hear it though, it was in my head, but the only reason I knew that was because I had suddenly found myself in the garden from my dreams, and standing in front of me was Amanda Stern. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know if you want more (I'll probably be writing more anyway, but encouragement may help speed up the process)


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